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THE  LIBRARY 

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THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


public  only 
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ASSOCIATION 


Ethel  leisurely  removed  her  opera  cloak."     Page  10. 


The  Man  Between 


AN  INTERNATIONAL  ROMANCE 


AME 


"The  M-fftd  <jfl  Maiden  Lane" 

"The  Black  Shifting"  "Souls  of  Passage,' 

"The  BowWOrange  Ribbon"  Etc. 


Illustrated  iqWkter-Colors  by  FRANK  T.  MERRILL 


Thereof  this  book  in  New  York  and  Phila- 
\J    delphia  is  confined  to  the  stores  of 
s  JOHN  WANAMAKER. 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

AUTHORS  AND   NEWSPAPERS  ASSOCIATION 
1906 


Copyright,  1906,  by  Amelia  E.  Barr 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 

All  rights  reserved 


PART  FIRST 


O  LOVE  WILL  VENTURE  IN  ! 


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FACSIMILE   PAO 


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THE  MAN  BETWEEN 


CHAPTER   I 

THE  thing  that  I  know  least  about  is  my 
beginning.  For  it  is  possible  to  introduce 
Ethel  Rawdon  in  so  many  picturesque  ways 
that  the  choice  is  embarrassing,  and  forces  me 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  actual  circum 
stances,  though  commonplace,  may  be  the 
most  suitable.  Certainly  the  events  that  shape 
our  lives  are  seldom  ushered  in  with  pomp  or 
ceremony;  they  steal  upon  us  unannounced, 
and  begin  their  work  without  giving  any  pre 
monition  of  their  importance. 

Consequently  Ethel  had  no  idea  when  she 
returned  home  one  night  from  a  rather  stupid 
entertainment  that  she  was  about  to  open 
a  new  and  important  chapter  of  her  life. 
Hitherto  that  life  had  been  one  of  the  sweet 
est  and  simplest  character — the  lessons  and 
sports  of  childhood  and  girlhood  had  claimed 


10  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

her  nineteen  years ;  and  Ethel  was  just  at  that 
wonderful  age  when,  the  brook  and  the  river 
having  met,  she  was  feeling  the  first  swell  of 
those  irresistible  tides  which  would  carry  her 
day  by  day  to  the  haven  of  all  days. 

It  was  Saturday  night  in  the  January  of 
1900,  verging  toward  twelve  o'clock.  When 
she  entered  her  room,  she  saw  that  one  of 
the  windows  was  open,  and  she  stood  a  moment 
or  two  at  it,  looking  across  the  straight  miles 
of  white  lights,  in  whose  illumined  shadows 
thousands  of  sleepers  were  holding  their  lives 
in  pause. 

"  It  is  not  New  York  at  all,"  she  whispered, 
"  it  is  some  magical  city  that  I  have  seen,  but 
have  never  trod.  It  will  vanish  about  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  there  will  be  only 
common  streets,  full  of  common  people.  Of 
course,"  and  here  she  closed  the  window  and 
leisurely  removed  her  opera  cloak,  "  of 
course,  this  is  only  dreaming,  but  to  dream 
waking,  or  to  dream  sleeping,  is  very  pleas 
ant.  In  dreams  we  can  have  men  as  we  like 
them,  and  women  as  we  want  them,  and  make 
all  the  world  happy  and  beautiful." 

She  was  in  no  hurry  of  feeling  or  movement. 
She  had  been  in  a  crowd  for  some  hours,  and 
was  glad  to  be  quite  alone  and  talk  to  herself 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  11 

a  little.  It  was  also  so  restful  to  gradually 
relinquish  all  the  restraining  gauds  of  fashion 
able  attire,  and  as  she  leisurely  performed 
these  duties,  she  entered  into  conversation 
with  her  own  heart — talked  over  with  it  the 
events  of  the  past  week,  and  decided  that  its 
f retless  days,  full  of  good  things,  had  been, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  sweet  as  a  cup 
of  new  milk.  For  a  woman's  heart  is  very 
talkative,  and  requires  little  to  make  it 
eloquent  in  its  own  way. 

In  the  midst  of  this  intimate  companionship 
she  turned  her  head,  and  saw  two  letters  lying 
upon  a  table.  She  rose  and  lifted  them.  One 
was  an  invitation  to  a  studio  reception,  and 
she  let  it  flutter  indeterminately  from  her 
hand;  the  other  was  both  familiar  and  ap 
pealing  ;  none  of  her  correspondents  but  Dora 
Denning  used  that  peculiar  shade  of  blue 
paper,  and  she  instantly  began  to  wonder  why 
Dora  had  written  to  her. 

"  I  saw  her  yesterday  afternoon, "  she  re 
flected,  "  and  she  told  me  everything  she  had 
to  tell — and  what  does  she  mean  by  such  a  tan 
talizing  message  as  this  ?  '  Dearest  Ethel :  I 
have  the  most  extraordinary  news.  Come  to 
me  immediately.  Dora.'  How  exactly  like 
Dora!  "  she  commented.  "  Come  to  me  im- 


12  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

mediately — whether  you  are  in  bed  or  asleep 
— whether  you  are  sick  or  well — whether  it  is 
midnight  or  high  noon — come  to  me  imme 
diately.  Well,  Dora,  I  am  going  to  sleep  now, 
and  to-morrow  is  Sunday,  and  I  never  know 
what  view  father  is  going  to  take  of  Sunday. 
He  may  ask  me  to  go  to  church  with  him,  and 
he  may  not:  He  may  want  me  to  drive  in  the 
afternoon,  and  again  he  may  not ;  but  Sunday 
is  father's  home  day,  and  Ruth  and  I  make  a 
point  of  obliging  him  in  regard  to  it.  That 
is  one  of  our  family  principles;  and  a  girl 
ought  to  have  a  few  principles  of  conduct  in 
volving  self-denial.  Aunt  Ruth  says,  '  Life 
cannot  stand  erect  without  self-denial,'  and 
aunt  is  usually  right — but  I  do  wonder  what 
Dora  wants !  I  cannot  imagine  what  extraor 
dinary  news  has  come.  I  must  try  and  see 
her  to-morrow — it  may  be  difficult — but  I 
must  make  the  effort  " — and  with  this  satis 
fying  resolution  she  easily  fell  asleep. 

When  she  awoke  the  church  bells  were  ring 
ing  and  she  knew  that  her  father  and  aunt 
would  have  breakfasted.  The  fact  did  not 
trouble  her.  It  was  an  accidental  sleep-over ; 
she  had  not  planned  it,  and  circumstances 
would  take  care  of  themselves.  In  any  case, 
she  had  no  fear  of  rebuke.  No  one  was  ever 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  13 

cross  with  Ethel.  It  was  a  matter  of  pretty 
general  belief  that  whatever  Ethel  did  was 
just  right.  So  she  dressed  herself  becomingly 
in  a  cloth  suit,  and,  with  her  plumed  hat  on 
her  head,  went  down  to  see  what  the  day  had 
to  offer  her. 

"  The  first  thing  is  coffee,  and  then,  all  be 
ing  agreeable,  Dora.  I  shall  not  look  further 
ahead,"  she  thought. 

As  she  entered  the  room  she  called  "  Good 
morning!  "  and  her  voice  was  like  the  voice 
of  the  birds  when  they  call  "  Spring!  ";  and 
her  face  was  radiant  with  smiles,  and  the  touch 
of  her  lips  and  the  clasp  of  her  hand  warm 
with  love  and  life;  and  her  father  and  aunt 
forgot  that  she  was  late,  and  that  her  break 
fast  was  yet  to  order. 

She  took  up  the  reproach  herself.  "  I  am 
so  sorry,  Aunt  Ruth.  I  only  want  a  cup  of 
coffee  and  a  roll." 

"  My  dear,  you  cannot  go  without  a  proper 
breakfast.  Never  mind  the  hour.  What  would 
you  like  best?  ' 

"  You  are  so  good,  Ruth.  I  should  like  a 
nice  breakfast — a  breast  of  chicken  and  mush 
rooms,  and  some  hot  muffins  and  marmalade 
would  do.  How  comfortable  you  look  here! 


14  THE  MAN   BETWEEN 

Father,  you  are  buried  in  newspapers.  Is 
anyone  going  to  church?  ' 

Ruth  ordered  the  desired  breakfast  and  Mr. 
Rawdon  took  out  his  watch — "  I  am  afraid 
you  have  delayed  us  too  long  this  morning, 
Ethel." 

"  Am  I  to  be  the  scapegoat  ?  Now,  I  do  not 
believe  anyone  wanted  to  go  to  church.  Ruth 
had  her  book,  you,  the  newspapers.  It  is  warm 
and  pleasant  here,  it  is  cold  and  windy  out 
side.  I  know  what  confession  would  be  made, 
if  honesty  were  the  fashion." 

"  Well,  my  little  girl,  honesty  is  the  fashion 
in  this  house.  I  believe  in  going  to  church. 
Religion  is  the  Mother  of  Duty,  and  we  should 
all  make  a  sad  mess  of  life  without  duty.  Is 
not  that  so,  Ruth?  " 

"  Truth  itself,  Edward;  but  religion  is  not 
going  to  church  and  listening  to  sermons. 
Those  who  built  the  old  cathedrals  of  Europe 
had  no  idea  that  sitting  in  comfortable  pews 
and  listening  to  some  man  talking  was  wor 
shiping  God.  Those  great  naves  were  in 
tended  for  men  and  women  to  stand  or  kneel 
in  before  God.  And  there  were  no  high  or 
low  standing  or  kneeling  places ;  all  were  on  a 
level  before  Him.  It  is  our  modern  Protes 
tantism  which  has  brought  in  lazy  lolling  in 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  15 

cushioned  pews ;  and  the  gallery,  which  makes 
a  church  as  like  a  playhouse  as  possible!  " 

"  .What  are  you  aiming  at,  Ruth?  " 

"  I  only  meant  to  say,  I  would  like  going  to 
church  much  better  if  we  went  solely  to  praise 
God,  and  entreat  His  mercy.  I  do  not  care  to 
hear  sermons." 

"  My  dear  Ruth,  sermons  are  a  large  fact  in 
our  social  economy.  When  a  million  or  two 
are  preached  every  year,  they  have  a  strong 
claim  on  our  attention.  To  use  a  trade  phrase, 
sermons  are  firm,  and  I  believe  a  moderate  tax 
on  them  would  yield  an  astonishing  income." 

"  See  how  you  talk  of  them,  Edward;  as 
if  they  were  a  commercial  commodity.  If  you 
respected  them " 

"  I  do.  I  grant  them  a  steady  pneumatic 
pressure  in  the  region  of  morals,  and  even 
faith.  Picture  to  yourself,  Ruth,  New  York 
without  sermons.  The  dear  old  city  would  be 
like  a  ship  without  ballast,  heeling  over  with 
every  wind,  and  letting  in  the  waters  of  im 
morality  and  scepticism.  Remove  this  pulpit 
balance  just  for  one  week  from  New  York 
City,  and  where  should  we  be?  ' 

"  WeU  then,"  said  Ethel,  "  the  clergy  ought 
to  give  New  York  a  first-rate  article  in  ser 
mons,  either  of  home  or  foreign  manufacture. 


16  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

New  York  expects  the  very  best  of  every 
thing;  and  when  she  gets  it,  she  opens  her 
heart  and  her  pocketbook — enjoys  it,  and  pays 
for  it." 

"  That  is  the  truth,  Ethel.  I  was  thinking 
of  your  grandmother  Kawdon.  You  have 
your  hat  on — are  you  going  to  see  her?  ' 

"  I  am  going  to  see  Dora  Denning.  I  had 
an  urgent  note  from  her  last  night.  She  says 
she  has  l  extraordinary  news  '  and  begs  me  to 
*  come  to  her  immediately.'  I  cannot  im 
agine  what  her  news  is.  I  saw  her  Friday 
afternoon." 

"  She  has  a  new  poodle,  or  a  new  lover,  or  a 
new  way  of  crimping  her  hair,"  suggested 
Ruth  Bayard  scornfully.  "  She  imposes  on 
you,  Ethel ;  why  do  you  submit  to  her  selfish 
ness?  " 

"  I  suppose  because  I  have  become  used 
to  it.  Four  years  ago  I  began  to  take  her  part, 
when  the  girls  teased  and  tormented  her  in  the 
schoolroom,  and  I  have  big-sistered  her  ever 
since.  I  suppose  we  get  to  love  those  who 
make  us  kind  and  give  us  trouble.  Dora  is  not 
perfect,  but  I  like  her  better  than  any  friend 
I  have.  And  she  must  like  me,  for  she  asks 
my  advice  about  everything  in  her  life." 

"  Does  she  take  it?  " 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  17 

"  Yes — generally.  Sometimes  I  have  to 
make  her  take  it." 

"  She  has  a  mother.  Why  does  she  not  go 
to  her?" 

"  Mrs.  Denning  knows  nothing  about  cer 
tain  subjects.  I  am  Dora's  social  godmother, 
and  she  must  dress  and  behave  as  I  tell  her  to 
do.  Poor  Mrs.  Denning!  I  am  so  sorry  for 
her — another  cup  of  coffee,  Ruth — it  is  not 
very  strong. ' ' 

"  Why  should  you  be  sorry  for  Mrs.  Den 
ning?  Her  husband  is  enormously  rich — she 
lives  in  a  palace,  and  has  a  crowd  of  men  and 
women  servants  to  wait  upon  her — carriages, 
horses,  motor  cars,  what  not,  at  her  com 
mand." 

"  Yet  really,  Ruth,  she  is  a  most  unhappy 
woman.  In  that  little  Western  town  from 
which  they  came,  she  was  everybody.  She  ran 
the  churches,  and  was  chairwoman  in  all  the 
clubs,  and  President  of  the  Temperance 
Union,  and  manager  of  every  religious,  social, 
and  political  festival ;  and  her  days  were  full 
to  the  brim  of  just  the  things  she  liked  to  do. 
Her  dress  there  was  considered  magnificent; 
people  begged  her  for  patterns,  and  regarded 
her  as  the  very  glass  of  fashion.  Servants 
thought  it  a  great  privilege  to  be  employed  on 


18  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

the  Denning  place,  and  she  ordered  her  house 
and  managed  her  half -score  of  men  and  maids 
with  pleasant  autocracy.  Now!  Well,  I  will 
tell  you  how  it  is,  now.  She  sits  all  day  in  her 
splendid  rooms,  or  rides  out  in  her  car  or  car 
riage,  and  no  one  knows  her,  and  of  course  no 
one  speaks  to  her.  Mr.  Denning  has  his  Wall 
Street  friends " 

"  And  enemies,"  interrupted  Judge  Raw- 
don. 

"  And  enemies!  You  are  right,  father. 
But  he  enjoys  one  as  much  as  the  other — that 
is,  he  would  as  willingly  fight  his  enemies  as 
feast  his  friends.  He  says  a  big  day  in  Wall 
Street  makes  him  alive  from  head  to  foot. 
He  really  looks  happy.  Bryce  Denning  has 
got  into  two  clubs,  and  his  money  passes  him, 
for  he  plays,  and  is  willing  to  lose — prudently. 
But  no  one  cares  about  Mrs.  Denning.  She  is 
quite  old — forty-five,  I  dare  say;  and  she  is 
stout,  and  does  not  wear  the  colors  and  style 
she  ought  to  wear — none  of  her  things  have 
the  right '  look,'  and  of  course  I  cannot  advise 
a  matron.  Then,  her  fine  English  servants 
take  her  house  out  of  her  hands.  She  is  afraid 
of  them.  The  butler  suavely  tries  to  inform 
her;  the  housekeeper  removed  the  white 
crotcheted  scarfs  and  things  from  the  gilded 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  19 

chairs,  and  I  am  sure  Mrs.  Denning  had  a 
heartache  about  their  loss;  but  she  saw  that 
they  had  also  vanished  from  Dora's  parlor, 
so  she  took  the  hint,  and  accepted  the  lesson. 
Really,  her  humility  and  isolation  are  pitiful. 
I  am  going  to  ask  grandmother  to  go  and  see 
her.  Grandmother  might  take  her  to  church, 
and  get  Dr.  Simpson  and  Mrs.  Simpson  to  in 
troduce  her.  Her  money  and  adaptability 
would  do  the  rest.  There,  I  have  had  a  good 
breakfast,  though  I  was  late.  It  is  not  always 
the  early  bird  that  gets  chicken  and  mush 
rooms.  Now  I  will  go  and  see  what  Dora 
wants  " — and  lifting  her  furs  with  a  smile, 
and  a  "  Good  morning!  "  equally  charming, 
she  disappeared. 

"  Did  you  notice  her  voice,  Ruth?  "  asked 
Judge  Rawdon.  What  a  tone  there  is  in  her 
1  good  morning !  ' 

"  There  is  a  tone  in  every  one's  good  morn 
ing,  Edward.  I  think  people's  salutations  set 
to  music  would  reveal  their  inmost  character. 
Ethel's  good  morning  says  in  D  major  '  How 
good  is  the  day!  '  and  her  good  night  drops 
into  the  minor  third,  and  says  pensively  '  How 
sweet  is  the  night!  '  " 

"  Nay,  Ruth,  I  don't  understand  all  that; 


20  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

but  I  do  understand  the  voice.  It  goes  straight 
to  my  heart." 

"  And  to  my  heart  also,  Edward.  I  think 
too  there  is  a  measured  music,  a  central  time 
and  tune,  in  every  life.  Quick,  melodious  na 
tures  like  Ethel's  never  wander  far  from  their 
keynote,  and  are  therefore  joyously  set ;  while 
slow,  irresolute  people  deviate  far,  and  only 
come  back  after  painful  dissonances  and  fre 
quent  changes." 

"  You  are  generally  right,  Euth,  even  where 
I  cannot  follow  you.  I  hope  Ethel  will  be 
home  for  dinner.  I  like  my  Sunday  dinner 
with  both  of  you,  and  I  may  bring  my  mother 
back  with  me." 

Then  he  said  "  Good  morning"  with  an  in 
tentional  cheerfulness,  and  Ruth  was  left 
alone  with  her  book.  She  gave  a  moment's 
thought  to  the  value  of  good  example,  and 
then  with  a  sigh  of  content  let  her  eyes  rest  on 
the  words  Ethel's  presence  had  for  awhile 
silenced : 

"  /  am  filed  ^vith  a  sense  of  sweetness  and 
wonder  that  such  little  things  can  make  a 
mortal  so  exceedingly  rich.  But  I  confess  that 
the  chief 'est  of  all  my  delights  is  still  the  re 
ligious.'99  (Theodore  Parker.)  She  read  the 
words  again,  then  closed  her  eyes  and  let  the 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  21 

honey  of  some  sacred  memory  satisfy  her  soul. 
And  in  those  few  minutes  of  reverie,  Ruth 
Bayard  revealed  the  keynote  of  her  being. 
."Wanderings  from  it,  caused  by  the  exigencies 
and  duties  of  life,  frequently  occurred;  but 
she  quickly  returned  to  its  central  and  con 
trolling  harmony ;  and  her  serenity  and  poise 
were  therefore  as  natural  as  was  her  niece's 
joyousness  and  hope.  Nor  was  her  religious 
character  the  result  of  temperament,  or  of  a 
secluded  life.  Ruth  Bayard  was  a  woman  of 
thought  and  culture,  and  wise  in  the  ways  of 
the  world,  but  not  worldly.  Her  personality 
was  very  attractive,  she  had  a  good  form,  an 
agreeable  face,  speaking  gray  eyes,  and  brown 
hair,  soft  and  naturally  wavy.  She  was  a 
distant  cousin  of  Ethel's  mother,  but  had 
been  brought  up  with  her  in  the  same  house 
hold,  and  always  regarded  her  as  a  sister, 
and  Ethel  never  remembered  that  she  was 
only  her  aunt  by  adoption.  Ten  years  older 
than  her  niece,  she  had  mothered  her  with  a 
wise  and  loving  patience,  and  her  thoughts 
never  wandered  long  or  far  from  the  girl. 
Consequently,  she  soon  found  herself  won 
dering  what  reason  there  could  be  for  Dora 
Denning 's  urgency. 
In  the  meantime  Ethel  had  reached  her 


22  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

friend's  residence — a  new  building  of  unusual 
size  and  very  ornate  architecture.  Liveried 
footmen  and  waiting  women  bowed  her  with 
mute  attention  to  Miss  Denning 's  suite,  an 
absolutely  private  arrangement  of  five  rooms, 
marvelously  furnished  for  the  young  lady's 
comfort  and  delight.  The  windows  of  her 
parlor  overlooked  the  park,  and  she  was 
standing  at  one  of  them  as  Ethel  entered  the 
room.  In  a  passion  of  welcoming  gladness 
she  turned  to  her,  exclaiming:  "  I  have  been 
watching  for  you  hours  and  hours,  Ethel.  I 
have  the  most  wonderful  thing  to  tell  you.  I 
am  so  happy!  So  happy!  No  one  was  ever 
as  happy  as  I  am." 

Then  Ethel  took  both  her  hands,  and,  as  they 
stood  together,  she  looked  intently  at  her 
friend.  Some  new  charm  transfigured  her 
face ;  for  her  dark,  gazelle  eyes  were  not  more 
lambent  than  her  cheeks,  though  in  a  differ 
ent  way;  while  her  black  hair  in  its  pictur 
esquely  arranged  disorder  seemed  instinct 
with  life,  and  hardly  to  be  restrained.  She 
was  constantly  pushing  it  back,  caressing  or 
arranging  it;  and  her  white,  slender  fingers, 
sparkling  with  jewels,  moved  among  the 
crimped  and  wavy  locks,  as  if  there  was  an 
intelligent  sympathy  between  them. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  23 

"  How  beautiful  you  are  to-day,  Dora! 
Who  has  worked  wonders  on  you?  " 

"  Basil  Stanhope.  He  loves  me!  He  loves 
me !  He  told  me  so  last  night — in  the  sweetest 
words  that  were  ever  uttered.  I  shall  never 
forget  one  of  them — never,  as  long  as  I  live! 
Let  us  sit  down.  I  want  to  tell  you  every 
thing." 

"  I  am  astonished,  Dora!  " 

"  So  was  mother,  and  father,  and  Bryce. 
No  one  suspected  our  affection.  Mother  used 
to  grumble  about  my  going  '  at  all  hours  '  to 
St.  Jude's  church;  but  that  was  because  St. 
Jude's  is  so  very  High  Church,  and  mother  is 
a  Methodist  Episcopal.  It  was  the  morning 
and  evening  prayers  she  objected  to.  No  one 
had  any  suspicion  of  the  clergyman.  Oh, 
Ethel,  he  is  so  handsome!  So  good!  So 
clever!  I  think  every  woman  in  the  church 
is  in  love  with  him. ' ' 

"  Then  if  he  is  a  good  man,  he  must  be  very 
unhappy." 

"  Of  course  he  is  quite  ignorant  of  their 
admiration,  and  therefore  quite  innocent.  I 
am  the  only  woman  he  loves,  and  he  never 
even  remembers  me  when  he  is  in  the  sacred 
office.  If  you  could  see  him  come  out  of  the 
vestry  in  his  white  surplice,  with  his  rapt  face 


24  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

and  prophetic  eyes.  So  mystical !  So  beauti 
ful!  You  would  not  wonder  that  I  worship 
him." 

"  But  I  do  not  understand — how  did  you 
meet  him  socially?  ' 

"  I  met  him  at  Mrs.  Taylor's  first.  Then 
he  spoke  to  me  one  morning  as  I  came  out  of 
church,  and  the  next  morning  he  walked 
through  the  park  with  me.  And  after  that — 
all  was  easy  enough." 

"  I  see.  What  does  your  father  and  mother 
think — or  rather,  what  do  they  say?  ' 

"  Father  always  says  what  he  thinks,  and 
mother  thinks  and  says  what  I  do.  This  con 
dition  simplified  matters  very  much.  Basil 
wrote  to  father,  and  yesterday  after  dinner  he 
had  an  interview  with  him.  I  expected  it,  and 
was  quite  prepared  for  any  climax  that  might 
come.  I  wore  my  loveliest  white  frock,  and 
had  lilies  of  the  valley  in  my  hair  and  on  my 
breast ;  and  father  called  me  l  his  little  angel ' 
and  piously  .wondered  '  how  I  could  be  his 
daughter.'  All  dinner  time  I  tried  to  be  an 
gelic,  and  after  dinner  I  sang  i  Little  Boy 
Blue  '  and  some  of  the  songs  he  loves ;  and  I 
felt,  when  Basil's  card  came  in,  that  I  had 
prepared  the  proper  atmosphere  for  the  in 
terview." 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  25 

"  You  are  really  very  clever,  Dora." 

"  I  tried  to  continue  singing  and  playing, 
but  I  could  not ;  the  notes  all  ran  together,  the 
words  were  lost.  I  went  to  mother's  side  and 
put  my  hand  in  hers,  and  she  said  softly:  *  I 
can  hear  your  father  storming  a  little,  but  he 
will  settle  down  the  quicker  for  it.  I  dare 
say  he  will  bring  Mr.  Stanhope  in  here  before 
long." 

"  Did  he?" 

"  No.  That  was  Bryce's  fault.  How  Bryce 
happened  to  be  in  the  house  at  that  hour,  I 
cannot  imagine ;  but  it  seems  to  be  natural  for 
him  to  drop  into  any  interview  where  he  can 
make  trouble.  However,  it  turned  out  all  for 
the  best,  for  when  mother  heard  Bryce 's  voice 
above  all  the  other  sounds,  she  said,  '  Come 
Dora,  we  shall  have  to  interfere  now.'  Then 
I  was  delighted.  I  was  angelically  dressed, 
and  I  felt  equal  to  the  interview." 

"  Do  you  really  mean  that  you  joined  the 
three  quarreling  men?  ' 

"  Of  course.  Mother  was  quite  calm — calm 
enough  to  freeze  a  tempest — but  she  gave 
father  a  look  he  comprehended.  Then  she 
shook  hands  with  Basil,  and  would  have  made 
some  remark  to  Bryce,  but  with  his  usual  im 
pertinence  he  took  the  initiative,  and  told  her 


26  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

very  authoritatively  to  '  retire  and  take  me 
with  her  ' — calling  me  that  '  demure  little 
flirt '  in  a  tone  that  was  very  offensive.  You 
should  have  seen  father  blaze  into  anger  at  his 
words.  He  told  Bryce  to  remember  that '  Mr. 
Ben  Denning  owned  the  house,  and  that  Bryce 
had  four  or  five  rooms  in  it  by  his  courtesy.' 
He  said  also  that  the  '  ladies  present  were 
Mr.  Ben  Denning 's  wife  and  daughter,  and 
that  it  was  impertinent  in  him  to  order  them 
out  of  his  parlor,  where  they  were  always 
welcome.'  Bryce  was  white  with  passion, 
but  he  answered  in  his  affected  way — i  Sir, 
that  sly  girl  with  her  pretended  piety  and 
her  sneak  of  a  lover  is  my  sister,  and  I  shall 
not  permit  her  to  disgrace  my  family  with 
out  making  a  protest. ' 

"And  then?" 

"  I  began  to  cry,  and  I  put  my  arms  around 
father's  neck  and  said  he  must  defend  me; 
that  I  was  not  *  sly,'  and  Basil  was  not  '  a 
sneak,'  and  father  kissed  me,  and  said  he 
would  settle  with  any  man,  and  every  man, 
who  presumed  to  call  me  either  sly  or  a  flirt." 

"  I  think  Mr.  Denning  acted  beautifully. 
What  did  Bryce  say?  " 

"  He  turned  to  Basil,  and  said:  '  Mr.  Stan 
hope,  if  you  are  not  a  cad,  you  will  leave  the 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  27 

house.  You  have  no  right  to  intrude  yourself 
into  family  affairs  and  family  quarrels.' 
Basil  had  seated  mother,  and  was  standing 
with  one  hand  on  the  back  of  her  chair,  and 
he  did  not  answer  Bryce — there  was  no  need, 
father  answered  quick  enough.  He  said  Mr. 
Stanhope  had  asked  to  become  one  of  the  fam 
ily,  and  for  his  part  he  would  welcome  him 
freely;  and  then  he  asked  mother  if  she  was 
of  his  mind,  and  mother  smiled  and  reached 
her  hand  backward  to  Basil.  Then  father 
kissed  me  again,  and  somehow  Basil's  arm 
was  round  me,  and  I  know  I  looked  lovely — 
almost  like  a  bride!  Oh,  Ethel,  it  was  just 
heavenly!  ' 

"  I  am  sure  it  was.  Did  Bryce  leave  the 
room  then?  ' 

"  Yes;  he  went  out  in  a  passion,  declaring 
he  would  never  notice  me  again.  This  morn 
ing  at  breakfast  I  said  I  was  sorry  Bryce  felt 
so  hurt,  but  father  was  sure  Bryce  would 
find  plenty  of  consolation  in  the  fact  that  his 
disapproval  of  my  choice  would  excuse  him 
from  giving  me  a  wedding  present.  You 
know  Bryce  is  a  mean  little  miser!  ' 

"  On  the  contrary,  I  thought  he  was  very- 
luxurious  and  extravagant." 

"  "Where  Bryce  is  concerned,  yes;  toward 


28  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

everyone  else  Ms  conduct  .is  too  mean  to 
consider.  Why,  father  makes  him  an  allow 
ance  of  $20,000  a  year  and  he  empties  father's 
cigar  boxes  whenever  he  can  do  so  with 
out " 

"  Let  us  talk  about  Mr.  Stanhope — he  is  far 
more  interesting.  When  are  you  going  to 
marry  him?  ' 

"  In  the  Spring.  Father  is  going  to  give 
me  some  money  and  I  have  the  fortune  Grand 
mother  Cahill  left  me.  It  has  been  well  in 
vested,  and  father  told  me  this  morning  I 
was  a  fairly  rich  little  woman.  Basil  has 
some  private  fortune,  also  his  stipend — we 
shall  do  very  well.  Basil's  family  is  one  of 
the  finest  among  the  old  Boston  aristocrats, 
and  he  is  closely  connected  with  the  English 
Stanhopes,  who  rank  with  the  greatest  of  the 
nobility." 

"  I  wish  Americans  would  learn  to  rely  on 
their  own  nobility.  I  am  tired  of  their  ever 
lasting  attempts  to  graft  on  some  English 
noble  family.  No  matter  how  great  or  clever 
a  man  may  be,  you  are  sure  to  read  of  his 
descent  from  some  Scottish  chief  or  English 
earl." 

"  They  can't  help  their  descent,  Ethel." 

"  They  need  not  pin  all  they  have  done  on 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  29 

to  it.  Often  father  frets  me  in  the  same  way. 
If  he  wins  a  difficult  case,  he  does  it  naturally, 
because  he  is  a  Rawdon.  He  is  handsome, 
gentlemanly,  honorable,  even  a  perfect  horse 
man,  all  because,  being  a  Rawdon,  he  was  by 
nature  and  inheritance  compelled  to  such  per 
fection.  It  is  very  provoking,  Dora,  and  if  I 
were  you  I  would  not  allow  Basil  to  begin  a 
song  about  t  the  English  Stanhopes.'  Aunt 
Ruth  and  I  get  very  tired  often  of  the  English 
Rawdons,  and  are  really  thankful  for  the  sep 
arating  Atlantic." 

"  I  don't  think  I  shall  feel  in  that  way, 
Ethel.  I  like  the  nobility;  so  does  father,  he 
says  the  Dennings  are  a  fine  old  family." 

"  Why  talk  of  genealogies  when  there  is 
such  a  man  as  Basil  Stanhope  to  consider1? 
Let  us  grant  him  perfection  and  agree  that 
he  is  to  marry  you  in  the  Spring;  well  then, 
there  is  the  ceremony,  and  the  wedding  gar 
ments!  Of  course  it  is  to  be  a  church  wed 
ding?" 

"  We  shall  be  married  in  Basil's  own 
church.  I  can  hardly  eat  or  sleep  for  think 
ing  of  the  joy  and  the  triumph  of  it !  There 
will  be  women  there  ready  to  eat  their  hearts 
with  envy — I  believe  indeed,  Ethel,  that  every 
woman  in  the  church  is  in  love  with  Basil." 


30  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

"  You  have  said  that  before,  and  I  am  sure 
you  are  wrong.  A  great  many  of  them  are 
married,  and  are  in  love  with  their  own  hus 
bands;  and  the  kind  of  girls  who  go  to  St. 
Jude  's  are  not  the  kind  who  marry  clergymen. 
Mr.  Stanhope's  whole  income  would  hardly 
buy  their  gloves  and  parasols." 

"  I  don't  think  you  are  pleased  that  I  am 
going  to  marry.  You  must  not  be  jealous  of 
Basil.  I  shall  love  you  just  the  same." 

"  Under  no  conditions,  Dora,  would  I  allow 
jealousy  to  trouble  my  life.  All  the  same,  you 
will  not  love  me  after  your  marriage  as  you 
have  loved  me  in  the  past.  I  shall  not  expect 
it." 

Passionate  denials  of  this  assertion,  remi 
niscences  of  the  past,  assurances  for  the  fu 
ture  followed,  and  Ethel  accepted  them  with 
out  dispute  and  without  faith.  But  she  un 
derstood  that  the  mere  circumstance  of  her 
engagement  was  all  that  Dora  could  manage 
at  present;  and  that  the  details  of  the  mar 
riage  merged  themselves  constantly  in  the 
wonderful  fact  that  Basil  Stanhope  loved 
her,  and  that  some  time,  not  far  off,  she  was 
going  to  be  his  wife.  This  joyful  certainty 
filled  her  heart  and  her  comprehension,  and 
she  had  a  natural  reluctance  to  subject  it  to 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  31 

the  details  of  the  social  and  religious  cere 
monies  necessary.  Such  things  permitted 
others  to  participate  in  her  joy,  and  she  re 
sented  the  idea.  For  a  time  she  wished  to 
keep  her  lover  in  a  world  where  no  other 
thought  might  trouble  the  thought  of  Dora. 

Ethel  understood  her  friend's  mood,  and 
was  rather  relieved  when  her  carriage  ar 
rived.  She  felt  that  her  presence  was  pre 
venting  Dora's  absolute  surrender  of  herself 
to  thoughts  of  her  lover,  and  all  the  way 
home  she  marveled  at  the  girl's  infatuation, 
and  wondered  if  it  would  be  possible  for  her 
to  fall  into  such  a  dotage  of  love  for  any 
man.  She  answered  this  query  positively — 
"  No,  if  I  should  lose  my  heart,  I  shall  not 
therefore  lose  my  head  " — and  then,  before 
she  could  finish  assuring  herself  of  her  de 
terminate  wisdom,  some  mocking  lines  she 
had  often  quoted  to  love-sick  girls  went  laugh 
ing  through  her  memory — 

"0  Woman!  Woman!    0  our  frail,  frail  sex! 
No  wonder  tragedies  are  made  from  us ! 
Always  the  same — nothing  but  loves  and  cradles." 

She  found  Ruth  Bayard  dressed  for  din 
ner,  but  her  father  was  not  present.  That 
was  satisfactory,  for  he  was  always  a  little 


32  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

impatient  when  the  talk  was  of  lovers  and 
weddings;  and  just  then  this  topic  was  up 
permost  in  Ethel's  mind. 

"  Ruth,"  she  said,  "  Dora  is  engaged, " 
^nd  then  in  a  few  sentences  she  told  the  little 
romance  Dora  had  lived  for  the  past  year, 
and  its  happy  culmination.  "  Setting  money 
aside,  I  think  he  will  make  a  very  suitable 
husband.  What  do  you  think,  Ruth?  ' 

"  From  what  I  know  of  Mr.  Stanhope,  I 
should  doubt  it.  I  am  sure  he  will  put  his 
duties  before  every  earthly  thing,  and  I  am 
sure  Dora  will  object  to  that.  Then  I  won 
der  if  Dora  is  made  on  a  pattern  large  enough 
to  be  the  moneyed  partner  in  matrimony.  I 
should  think  Mr.  Stanhope  was  a  proud 


man. ' 


"  Dora  says  he  is  connected  with  the  Eng 
lish  noble  family  of  Stanhopes." 

"  We  shall  certainly  have  all  the  connec 
tions  of  the  English  nobility  in  America  very 
soon  now — but  why  does  he  marry  Dora  ?  Is 
it  her  money"?  ' 

"  I  think  not.  I  have  heard  from  various 
sources  some  fine  things  of  Basil  Stanhope. 
There  are  many  richer  girls  than  Dora  in  St. 
Jude's.  I  dare  say  some  one  of  them  would 
have  married  him." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  33 

"  You  are  mistaken.  Do  you  think  Mar 
gery  Starey,  Jane  Lewes,  or  any  of  the  girls 
of  their  order  would  marry  a  man  with  a  few 
thousands  a  year?  And  to  marry  for  love  is 
beyond  the  frontiers  of  such  women's  intel 
ligence.  In  their  creed  a  husband  is  a  banker, 
not  a  man  to  be  loved  and  cared  for.  You 
know  how  much  of  a  banker  Mr.  Stanhope 
could  be." 

"  Bryce  Denning  is  very  angry  at  what  he 
evidently  considers  his  sister's  mesalliance." 

"  If  Mr.  Stanhope  is  connected  with  the 
English  Stanhopes,  the  mesalliance  must  be 
laid  to  his  charge." 

"  Indeed  the  Dennings  have  some  pretenses 
to  good  lineage,  and  Bryce  spoke  of  his  sis 
ter  '  disgracing  his  family  by  her  contem 
plated  marriage.' 

"  His  family!  My  dear  Ethel,  his  grand 
father  was  a  manufacturer  of  tin  tacks.  And 
now  that  we  have  got  as  far  away  as  the 
Denning 's  grandfather,  suppose  we  drop  the 
subject." 

"  Content;  I  am  a  little  tired  of  the  clan 
Denning — that  is  their  original  name  Dora 
says.  I  will  go  now  and  dress  for  dinner." 

Then  Ruth  rose  and  looked  inquisitively 
around  the  room.  It  was  as  she  wished  it  to 


34  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

be — the  very  expression  of  elegant  comfort 
— warm  and  light,  and  holding  the  scent  of 
roses:  a  place  of  deep,  large  chairs  with  no 
odds  and  ends  to  worry  about,  a  room  to 
lounge  and  chat  in,  and  where  the  last  touch 
of  perfect  home  freedom  was  given  by  a  big 
mastiff  who,  having  heard  the  door-bell  ring, 
strolled  in  to  see  who  had  called. 


DURING  dinner  both  Ruth  and  Ethel  were 
aware  of  some  sub-interest  in  the  Judge's 
manner;  his  absent-mindedness  was  unusual, 
and  once  Ruth  saw  a  faint  smile  that  nothing 
evident  could  have  induced.  Unconsciously 
also  he  set  a  tone  of  constraint  and  hurry; 
the  meal  was  not  loitered  over,  the  conver 
sation  flagged,  and  all  rose  from  the  table 
with  a  sense  of  relief ;  perhaps,  indeed,  with 
a  feeling  of  expectation. 

They  entered  the  parlor  together,  and  the 
mastiff  rose  to  meet  them,  asking  permission 
to  remain  with  the  little  coaxing  push  of  his 
nose  which  brought  the  ready  answer: 

"  Certainly,  Sultan.  Make  yourself  com 
fortable." 

Then  they  grouped  themselves  round  the 
fire,  and  the  Judge  lit  his  cigar  and  looked 
at  Ethel  in  a  way  that  instantly  brought  curi 
osity  to  the  question : 

"  You  have  a  secret,  father,"  she  said. 
"  Is  it  about  grandmother?  " 

"It  is  news  rather  than  a  secret,  Ethel. 


36  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

rAnd  grandmother  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with 
it,  for  it  is  about  her  family — the  Mostyns." 

"  Oh!  " 

The  tone  of  Ethel's  "  Oh!  "  was  not  en 
couraging,  and  Ruth's  look  of  interest  held 
in  abeyance  was  just  as  chilling.  But  some 
thing  like  this  attitude  had  been  expected, 
and  Judge  Rawdon  was  not  discouraged  by 
it ;  he  knew  that  youth  is  capable  of  great  and 
sudden  changes,  and  that  its  ability  to  find 
reasonable  motives  for  them  is  unlimited,  so 
he  calmly  continued: 

"  You  are  aware  that  your  grandmother's 
name  before  marriage  was  Rachel  Mostyn  ?  ' 

"  I  have  seen  it  a  thousand  times  at  the 
bottom  of  her  sampler,  father,  the  one  that  is 
framed  and  hanging  in  her  morning  room — 
Rachel  Mostyn,  November,  Anno  Domini, 
1827." 

"  Very  well.  She  married  George  Raw- 
don,  and  they  came  to  New  York  in  1834. 
They  had  a  pretty  house  on  the  Bowling 
Green  and  lived  very  happily  there.  I  was 
born  in  1850,  the  youngest  of  their  children. 
You  know  that  I  sign  my  name  Edward  M. 
Rawdon;  it  is  really  Edward  Mostyn  Raw- 
don." 

He  paused,   and  Ruth  said,   "  I  suppose 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  37 

Mrs.  Kawdon  has  had  some  news  from  her 
old  home?" 

"  She  had  a  letter  last  night,  and  I  shall 
probably  receive  one  to-morrow.  Frederick 
Mostyn,  her  grand-nephew,  is  coming  to  New 
York,  and  Squire  Kawdon,  of  Rawdon 
Manor,  writes  to  recommend  the  young  man 
to  our  hospitality." 

"  But  you  surely  do  not  intend  to  invite 
him  here,  Edward.  I  think  that  would  not 
do." 

"  He  is  going  to  the  Holland  House.  But 
he  is  our  kinsman,  and  therefore  we  must  be 
hospitable." 

11  I  have  been  trying  to  count  the  kinship. 
It  is  out  of  my  reckoning,"  said  Ethel.  "  I 
hope  at  least  he  is  nice  and  presentable." 

"  The  Mostyns  are  a  handsome  family. 
Look  at  your  grandmother.  And  Squire 
Kawdon  speaks  very  well  of  Mr.  Mostyn. 
He  has  taken  the  right  side  in  politics,  and  is 
likely  to  make  his  mark.  They  were  always 
great  sportsmen,  and  I  dare  say  this  repre 
sentative  of  the  family  is  a  good-looking 
fellow,  well-mannered,  and  perfectly  dressed." 

Ethel  laughed.  "  If  his  clothes  fit  him  he 
will  be  an  English  wonder.  I  have  seen  lots 
of  Englishmen;  they  are  all  frights  as  to 


38  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

trousers  and  vests.  There  was  Lord  Wy- 
comb,  his  broadcloths  and  satins  and  linen 
were  marvels  in  quality,  but  the  make !  The 
girls  hated  to  be  seen  walking  with  him,  and 
he  would  walk — '  good  for  the  constitution,' 
was  his  explanation  for  all  his  peculiarities. 
The  Caylers  were  weary  to  death  of  them." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Ruth,  "  they  sang  songs 
of  triumph  when  Lou  Cayler  married  him." 

"  That  was  a  different  thing.  Lou  would 
make  him  get '  fits  '  and  stop  wearing  sloppy, 
baggy  arrangements.  And  I  do  not  suppose 
the  English  lord  has  now  a  single  peculiarity 
left,  unless  it  be  his  constitutional  walk — 
that,  of  course.  I  have  heard  English  babies 
get  out  of  their  cradles  to  take  a  constitu 
tional." 

During  this  tirade  Ruth  had  been  think 
ing.  "  Edward,"  she  asked,  "  why  does 
Squire  Rawdon  introduce  Mr.  Mostyn? 
Their  relationship  cannot  be  worth  count 
ing." 

"  There  you  are  wrong,  Ruth."  He  spoke 
with  a  little  excitement.  "  Englishmen  never 
deny  matrimonial  relationships,  if  they  are 
worthy  ones.  Mostyn  and  Rawdon  are  bound 
together  by  many  a  gold  wedding  ring;  we 
reckon  such  ties  relationships.  Squire  Raw- 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  39 

don  lost  Ms  son  and  his  two  grandsons  a  year 
ago.  Perhaps  this  young  man  may  eventu 
ally  stand  in  their  place.  The  Squire  is  nearly 
eighty  years  old;  he  is  the  last  of  the  Eng 
lish  Rawdons — at  least  of  our  branch  of  it." 

"  You  suppose  this  Mr.  Mostyn  may  be 
come  Squire  of  Rawdon  Manor?  ' 

"  He  may,  Ruth,  but  it  is  not  certain. 
There  is  a  large  mortgage  on  the  Manor." 

"  Oh!  " 

Both  girls  made  the  ejaculation  at  the  same 
moment,  and  in  both  voices  there  was  the 
same  curious  tone  of  speculation.  It  was  a 
cry  after  truth  apprehended,  but  not  realized. 
Mr.  Rawdon  remained  silent;  he  was  debat 
ing  with  himself  the  advisability  of  further 
confidence,  but  he  came  quickly  to  the  con 
clusion  that  enough  had  been  told  for  the 
present.  Turning  to  Ethel,  he  said:  "  I  sup 
pose  girls  have  a  code  of  honor  about  their 
secrets.  Is  Dora  Denning 's  '  extraordinary 
news  '  shut  up  in  it?  ' 

"  Oh,  no,  father.  She  is  going  to  be  mar 
ried.  That  is  all." 

"  That  is  enough.    Who  is  the  man?  ' 

"  Reverend  Mr.  Stanhope." 

"  Nonsense!  ' 

"  Positively." 


40  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  never  heard  anything  more  ridiculous. 
That  saintly  young  priest!  Why,  Dora  will 
be  tired  to  death  of  him  in  a  month.  And  he  ? 
Poor  fellow!  ' 

"  Why  poor  fellow?  He  is  very  much  in 
love  with  her." 

"It  is  hard  to  understand.  St.  Jerome's 
love  l  pale  with  midnight  prayer  '  would  be 
more  believable  than  the  butterfly  Dora. 
Goodness,  gracious!  The  idea  of  that  man 
being  in  love!  It  pulls  him  down  a  bit.  I 
thought  he  never  looked  at  a  woman." 

"  Do  you  know  him,  father?  ' 

"  As  many  people  know  him — by  good  re 
port.  I  know  that  he  is  a  clergyman  who  be 
lieves  what  he  preaches.  I  know  a  Wall 
Street  broker  who  left  St.  Jude's  church  be 
cause  Mr.  Stanhope's  sermons  on  Sunday  put 
such  a  fine  edge  on  his  conscience  that  Mon 
days  were  dangerous  days  for  him  to  do  busi 
ness  on.  And  whatever  Wall  Street  financiers 
think  of  the  Bible  personally,  they  do  like  a 
man  who  sticks  to  his  colors,  and  who  holds 
intact  the  truth  committed  to  him.  Stan 
hope  does  this  emphatically;  and  he  is  so 
well  trusted  that  if  he  wanted  to  build  a  new 
church  he  could  get  all  the  money  necessary 
from  Wall  Street  men  in  an  hour.  And  he 


THE  MAN"  BETWEEN  41 

is  going  to  marry!  Going  to  marry  Dora 
Denning!  It  is  '  extraordinary  news,'  in 
deed!  " 

Ethel  was  a  little  offended  at  such  unusual 
surprise.  "  I  think  you  don't  quite  under 
stand  Dora,"  she  said.  "  It  will  be  Mr.  Stan 
hope's  fault  if  she  is  not  led  in  the  right  way; 
for  if  he  only  loves  and  pets  her  enough  he 
may  do  all  he  wishes  with  her.  I  know,  I 
have  both  coaxed  and  ordered  her  for  four 
years — sometimes  one  way  is  best,  and  some 
times  the  other." 

"  How  is  a  man  to  tell  which  way  to  take? 
What  do  her  parents  think  of  the  marriage  ?  " 

"  They  are  pleased  with  it." 

"  Pleased  with  it!  Then  I  have  nothing 
more  to  say,  except  that  I  hope  they  will  not 
appeal  to  me  on  any  question  of  divorce  that 
may  arise  from  such  an  unlikely  marriage." 

"  They  are  only  lovers  yet,  Edward,"  said 
Ruth.  "  It  is  not  fair,  or  kind,  to  even  think 
of  divorce." 

"  My  dear  Euth,  the  fashionable  girl  of  to 
day  accepts  marriage  with  the  provision  of 
divorce." 

"  Dora  is  hardly  one  of  that  set." 

"  I  hope  she  may  keep  out  of  it,  but  mar 
riage  will  give  her  many  opportunities.  [Well, 


42  THE  MAN"  BETWEEN 

I  am  sorry  for  the  young  priest.  He  isn't 
fit  to  manage  a  woman  like  Dora  Denning. 
I  am  afraid  lie  will  get  the  worst  of  it." 

"  I  think  you  are  very  unkind,  father. 
Dora  is  my  friend,  and  I  know  her.  She  is 
a  girl  of  intense  feelings  and  very  affection 
ate.  And  she  has  dissolved  all  her  life  and 
mind  in  Mr.  Stanhope's  life  and  mind,  just 
as  a  lump  of  sugar  is  dissolved  in  water." 

Ruth  laughed.  "  Can  you  not  find  a  more 
poetic  simile,  Ethel?  " 

"  It  will  do.    This  is  an  age  of  matter; 
material  symbol  is  the  proper  thing." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  she  has  dissolved  ht 
mind  in  Stanhope's,"  said  Judge  Rawdo 
"  Dora's  intellect  in  itself  is  childish.    Wh 
did  the  man  see  in  her  that  he  should  desi  g 
her?  " 

"  Father,  you  never  can  tell  how  mu 
brains  men  like  with  their  beauty.  Ve  r 
little  will  do  generally.  And  Dora  has  beauty 
— great  beauty;  no  one  can  deny  that.  I 
think  Dora  is  giving  up  a  great  deal.  To 
her,  at  least,  marriage  is  a  state  of  passing 
from  perfect  freedom  into  the  comparative 
condition  of  a  slave,  giving  up  her  own  way 
constantly  for  some  one  else's  way." 

"  ^Well,  Ethel,  the  remedy  is  in  the  lady's 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  43 

hands.  She  is  not  forced  to  marry,  and  the 
slavery  that  is  voluntary  is  no  hardship. 
Now,  my  dear,  I  have  a  case  to  look  over,  and 
you  must  excuse  me  to-night.  To-morrow 
we  shall  know  more  concerning  Mr.  Mostyn, 
and  it  is  easier  to  talk  about  certainties  than 
probabilities." 

But  if  conversation  ceased  about  Mr.  Mos 
tyn,  thought  did  not;  for,  a  couple  of  hours 
afterwards,  Ethel  tapped  at  her  aunt's  door 
nd  said,  "  Just  a  moment,  Ruth." 

"  Yes,  dear,  what  is  it?  " 

"  Did  you  notice  what  father  said  about 
le  mortgage  on  Rawdon  Manor?  ' 

"  Yes." 

"  He  seemed  to  know  all  about  it." 

"  I  think  he  does  know  all  about  it." 

"  Do  you  think  he  holds  it?  " 

"  He  may  do  so — it  is  not  unlikely." 

"Oh!  Then  Mr.  Fred  Mostyn,  if  he  is  to 
inherit  Rawdon,  would  like  the  mortgage  re 
moved?  ' 

"  Of  course  he  would." 

"And  the  way  to  remove  it  would  be  to 
marry  the  daughter  of  the  holder  of  the 
mortgage?  " 

"  It  would  be  one  way." 

"  So  he  is  coming  to  look  me  over.    I  am' 


44  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

a  matrimonial  possibility.  How  do  you  like 
that  idea,  Aunt  Ruth?  " 

"I  do  not  entertain  it  for  a  moment. 
Mr.  Mostyn  may  not  even  know  of  the  mort 
gage.  When  men  mortgage  their  estates 
they  do  not  make  confidences  about  the  mat 
ter,  or  talk  it  over  with  their  friends.  They 
always  conceal  and  hide  the  transaction.  If 
your  father  holds  the  mortgage,  I  feel  sure 
that  no  one  but  himself  and  Squire  Rawdon 
know  anything  about  it.  Don't  look  at  the 
wrong  side  of  events,  Ethel;  be  content  with 
the  right  side  of  life's  tapestry.  Why  are 
you  not  asleep?  What  are  you  worrying 
about?  " 

"  Nothing,  only  I  have  not  heard  all  I 
wanted  to  hear." 

"  And  perhaps  that  is  good  for  you." 

"  I  shall  go  and  see  grandmother  first  thing 
in  the  morning." 

ie  I  would  not  if  I  were  you.  You  cannot 
make  any  excuse  she  will  not  see  through. 
Your  father  will  call  on  Mr.  Mostyn  to-mor 
row,  and  we  shall  get  unprejudiced  infor 
mation." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  that,  Ruth.  Father  is 
intensely  American  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  days  and  twenty-three  hours  in  a  year, 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  45 

and  then  in  the  odd  hour  he  will  flare  up 
Yorkshire  like  a  conflagration." 

"  English,  you  mean?  ' 

"  No.  Yorkshire  is  England  to  grand 
mother  and  father.  They  don't  think  any 
thing  much  of  the  other  counties,  and  people 
from  them  are  just  respectable  foreigners. 
You  may  depend  upon  it,  whatever  grand 
mother  says  of  Mr.  Fred  Mostyn,  father  will 
believe  it,  too." 

"  Your  father  always  believes  whatever 
your  grandmother  says.  Good  night,  dear." 

"  Good  night.  I  think  I  shall  go  to  grand 
mother  in  the  morning.  I  know  how  to 
manage  her.  I  shall  meet  her  squarely  with 
the  truth,  and  acknowledge  that  I  am  dying 
with  curiosity  about  Mr.  Mostyn." 

"•  And  she  will  tease  and  lecture  you,  say 
you  are  '  not  sweetheart  high  yet,  only  a  little 
maid, '  and  so  on.  Far  better  go  and  talk  with 
Dora.  To-morrow  she  will  need  you,  I  am 
sure.  Ethel,  I  am  very  sleepy.  Good  night 
again,  dear." 

"  Good  night!  "  Then  with  a  sudden  ani 
mation,  "  I  know  what  to  do,  I  shall  tell 
grandmother  about  Dora's  marriage.  It  is 
all  plain  enough  now.  Good  night,  Ruth." 
'And  this  good  night,  though  dropping  sweetly 


46  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

into  the  minor  third,  had  yet  on  its  final  in 
flection  something  of  the  pleasant  hopeful 
ness  of  its  major  key — it  expressed  antici 
pation  and  satisfaction. 

What  happened  in  the  night  session  she 
could  not  tell,  but  she  awoke  with  a  positive 
disinclination  to  ask  a  question  about  Mr. 
Mostyn.  "  I  have  received  orders  from  some 
one,"  she  said  to  Euth;  "  I  simply  do  not 
care  whether  I  ever  see  or  hear  of  the  man 
again.  I  am  going  to  Dora,  and  I  may  not 
come  home  until  late.  You  know  they  will 
depend  upon  me  for  every  suggestion." 

In  fact,  Ethel  did  not  return  home  until  the 
following  day,  for  a  snowstorm  came  up  in 
the  afternoon,  and  the  girl  was  weary  with 
planning  and  writing,  and  well  inclined  to 
eat  with  Dora  the  delicate  little  dinner  served 
to  them  in  Dora's  private  parlor.  Then 
about  nine  o'clock  Mr.  Stanhope  called,  and 
Ethel  found  it  pleasant  enough  to  watch  the 
lovers  and  listen  to  Mrs.  Denning 's  opinions 
of  what  had  been  already  planned.  And  the 
next  day  she  seemed  to  be  so  absolutely  neces 
sary  to  the  movement  of  the  marriage  prepa 
rations,  that  it  was  nearly  dark  before  she 
was  permitted  to  return  home. 

It  was  but  a  short  walk  between  the  two 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN"  47 

houses,  and  Ethel  was  resolved  to  have  the 
refreshment  of  the  exercise.  And  how  good 
it  was  to  feel  the  pinch  of  the  frost  and  the 
gust  of  the  north  wind,  and  after  it  to  come 
to  the  happy  portal  of  home,  and  the  familiar 
atmosphere  of  the  cheerful  hall,  and  then  to 
peep  into  the  firelit  room  in  which  Ruth  lay 
dreaming  in  the  dusky  shadows. 

"Ruth,  darling!  " 

"Ethel!  I  have  just  sent  for  you  to  come 
home."  Then  she  rose  and  took  Ethel  in  her 
arms.  "  How  delightfully  cold  you  are! 
And  what  rosy  cheeks!  Do  you  know  that 
we  have  a  little  dinner  party?  r 

"  Mr.  Mostyn?  " 

"  Yes,  and  your  grandmother,  and  perhaps 
Dr.  Fisher — the  Doctor  is  not  certain." 

"  And  I  see  that  you  are  already  dressed. 
How  handsome  you  look!  That  black  lace 
dress,  with  the  dull  gold  ornaments,  is  all 
right. ' ' 

"  I  felt  as  if  jewels  would  be  overdress  for 
a  family  dinner." 

"  Yes,  but  jewels  always  snub  men  so  com 
pletely.  It  is  not  altogether  that  they  rep 
resent  money;  they  give  an  air  of  royalty, 
and  a  woman  without  jewels  is  like  an  un 
crowned  queen — she  does  not  get  the  homage. 


48  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

I  can't  account  for  it,  but  there  it  is.  I  shall 
wear  my  sapphire  necklace.  What  did  father 
say  about  our  new  kinsman?  ' 

"  Very  little.    It  was  impossible  to  judge 
from  his  words  what  he  thought.    I  fancied 
that  he  might  have  been  a  little  disappointed." 
"  I  should  not  wonder.    We  shall  see." 
"  You  will  be  dressed  in  an  hour?  ' 
"  In  less   time.     Shall  I  wear  white   or 
blue?" 

"  Pale  blue  and  white  flowers.  There  are 
some  white  violets  in  the  library.  I  have  a 
red  rose.  We  shall  contrast  each  other  very 
well." 

"  What  is  it  all  about?  Do  we  really  care 
how  we  look  in  the  eyes  of  this  Mr.  Mostyn?  ' 
"  Of  course  we  care.  We  should  not  be 
women  if  we  did  not  care.  We  must  make 
some  sort  of  an  impression,  and  naturally 
we  prefer  that  it  should  be  a  pleasant  one." 

"  If  we  consider  the  mortgage " 

"  Nonsense!    The  mortgage  is  not  in  it." 

"  Good-by.    Tell  Mattie  to  bring  me  a  cup 

of  tea  upstairs.    I  will  be  dressed  in  an  hour." 

The  tea  was  brought  and  drank,  and  Ethel 

fell  asleep  while  her  maid  prepared   every 

item  for  her  toilet.     Then  she  spoke  to  her 

mistress,  and  Ethel  awakened,  as  she  always 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  49 

did,  with  a  smile;  nature's  surest  sign  of  a 
radically  sweet  temper.  And  everything  went 
in  accord  with  the  smile;  her  hair  fell  natu 
rally  into  its  most  becoming  waves,  her  dress 
into  its  most  graceful  folds;  the  sapphire 
necklace  matched  the  blue  of  her  happy  eyes, 
the  roses  of  youth  were  on  her  cheeks,  and 
white  violets  on  her  breast.  She  felt  her  own 
beauty  and  was  glad  of  it,  and  with  a  laughing 
word  of  pleasure  went  down  to  the  parlor. 

Madam  Rawdon  was  standing  before  the 
fire,  but  when  she  heard  the  door  open  she 
turned  her  face  toward  it. 

"  Come  here,  Ethel  Rawdon,"  she  said, 
"  and  let  me  have  a  look  at  you."  And  Ethel 
went  to  her  side,  laid  her  hand  lightly  on  the 
old  lady's  shoulder  and  kissed  her  cheek. 
"  You  do  look  middling  well,"  she  continued, 
"  and  your  dress  is  about  as  it  should  be.  I 
like  a  girl  to  dress  like  a  girl — still,  the  sap 
phires.  Are  they  necessary?  '' 

"  You  would  not  say  corals,  would  you, 
grandmother?  I  have  those  you  gave  me 
when  I  was  three  years  old." 

"  Keep  your  wit,  my  dear,  for  this  even 
ing.  I  should  not  wonder  but  you  might  need 
it.  Fred  Mostyn  is  rather  better  than  I  ex 
pected.  It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  see  him. 


50  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

It  was  like  a  bit  of  my  own  youth  back  again. 
When  you  are  a  very  old  woman  there  are 
few  things  sweeter,  Ethel." 

"  But  you  are  not  an  old  woman,  grand 
mother." 

Nor  was  she.  In  spite  of  her  seventy-five 
years  she  stood  erect  at  the  side  of  her  grand 
daughter.  Her  abundant  hair  was  partly 
gray,  but  the  gray  mingled  with  the  little  oval 
of  costly  lace  that  lay  upon  it,  and  the  effect 
was  soft  and  fair  as  powdering.  She  had 
been  very  handsome,  and  her  beauty  lingered 
as  the  beauty  of  some  flowers  linger,  in  fainter 
tints  and  in  less  firm  outlines;  for  she  had 
never  fallen  from  that  "  grace  of  God  vouch 
safed  to  children,"  and  therefore  she  had 
kept  not  only  the  enthusiasms  of  her  youth, 
but  that  sweet  promise  of  the  "  times  of 
restitution  ':  when  the  child  shall  die  one 
hundred  years  old,  because  the  child-heart 
shall  be  kept  in  all  its  freshness  and  trust. 
•Yes,  in  Rachel  Rawdon's  heart  the  well- 
springs  of  love  and  life  lay  too  deep  for  the 
frosts  of  age  to  touch.  She  would  be  eter 
nally  young  before  she  grew  old. 

She  sat  down  as  Ethel  spoke,  and  drew  the 
girl  to  her  side.  "  I  hear  your  friend  is  going 
to  marry,"  she  said. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  51 

"Dora?    Yes." 

"  Are  you  sorry?  ' 

"  Perhaps  not.  Dora  has  been  a  care  to 
me  for  four  years.  I  hope  her  husband  may 
manage  her  as  well  as  I  have  done." 

"  Are  you  afraid  he  will  not?  ' 

"  I  cannot  tell,  grandmother.  I  see  all 
Dora's  faults.  Mr.  Stanhope  is  certain  that 
she  has  no  faults.  Hitherto  she  has  had  her 
own  way  in  everything.  Excepting  myself, 
no  one  has  ventured  to  contradict  her.  But, 
then,  Dora  is  over  head  and  ears  in  love,  and 
love,  it  is  said,  makes  all  things  easy  to  bear 
and  to  do." 

"  One  thing,  girls,  amazes  me — it  is  how 
readily  women  go  to  church  and  promise  to 
love,  honor,  and  obey  their  husbands,  when 
they  never  intend  to  do  anything  of  the  kind." 

"  There  is  a  still  more  amazing  thing, 
Madam,"  answered  Ruth;  "that  is  that 
men  should  be  so  foolish  as  to  think,  or  hope, 
they  perhaps  might  do  so." 

"  Old-fashioned  women  used  to  manage  it 
some  way  or  other,  Ruth.  But  the  old-fash 
ioned  woman  was  a  very  soft-hearted  crea 
ture,  and,  maybe,  it  was  just  as  well  that  she 
was." 

"  But   Woman's    Dark   Ages    are    nearly 


52  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

over,  Madam;  and  is  not  the  New  Woman  a 
great  improvement  on  the  Old  Woman?  ' 

"  I  haven't  made  up  my  mind  yet,  Ruth, 
about  the  New  Woman.  I  notice  one  thing 
that  a  few  of  the  new  kind  have  got  into  their 
pretty  heads,  and  that  is,  that  they  ought  to 
have  been  men;  and  they  have  followed  up 
that  idea  so  far  that  there  is  now  very  little 
difference  in  their  looks,  and  still  less  in  their 
walk;  they  go  stamping  along  with  the  step 
of  an  athlete  and  the  stride  of  a  peasant  on 
fresh  plowed  fields.  It  is  the  most  hideous 
of  walks  imaginable.  The  Grecian  bend, 
which  you  cannot  remember,  but  may  have 
heard  of,  was  a  lackadaisical,  vulgar  walking 
fad,  but  it  was  grace  itself  compared  with  the 
hideous  stride  which  the  New  Woman  has  ac 
quired  on  the  golf  links  or  somewhere  else." 

"  But  men  stamp  and  stride  in  the  same 
way,  grandmother." 

"  A  long  stride  suits  a  man's  anatomy  well 
enough;  it  does  not  suit  a  woman's — she  feels 
every  stride  she  takes,  I'll  warrant  her." 

"  If  she  plays  golf— - — " 

"  My  dear  Ethel,  there  is  no  need  for  her  to 
play  golf.  It  is  a  man's  game  and  was  played 
for  centuries  by  men  only.  In  Scotland,  the 
home  of  golf,  it  was  not  thought  nice  for 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  53 

women  to  even  go  to  the  links,  because  of  the 
awful  language  they  were  likely  to  hear." 

"  Then,  grandmother,  is  it  not  well  for 
ladies  to  play  golf  if  it  keeps  men  from  using 
4  awful  language  '  to  each  other?  " 

"  God  love  you,  child !  Men  will  think  what 
they  dare  not  speak. " 

"If  we  could  only  have  some  new  men!  ' 
sighed  Ethel.  "  The  lover  of  to-day  is  just 
what  a  girl  can  pick  up ;  he  has  no  wit  and  no 
wisdom  and  no  illusions.  He  talks  of  his  mus 
cles  and  smells  of  cigarettes — perhaps  of 
whisky  " — and  at  these  words,  Judge  Raw- 
don,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Fred  Mostyn,  en 
tered  the  room. 

The  introductions  slipped  over  easily,  they 
hardly  seemed  to  be  necessary,  and  the  young 
man  took  the  chair  offered  as  naturally  as  if 
he  had  sat  by  the  hearth  all  his  life.  There 
was  no  pause  and  no  embarrassment  and  no 
useless  polite  platitudes;  and  Ethel's  first 
feeling  about  her  kinsman  was  one  of  admira 
tion  for  the  perfect  ease  and  almost  instinc 
tive  at-homeness  with  which  he  took  his  place. 
He  had  come  to  his  own  and  his  own  had  re 
ceived  him;  that  was  the  situation,  a  very 
pleasant  one,  which  he  accepted  with  the 


54  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

smiling  trust  that  was  at  once  the  most  per 
fect  and  polite  of  acknowledgments. 

"  So  you  do  not  enjoy  traveling?  "  said 
Judge  Rawdon  as  if  continuing  a  conversa 
tion. 

"  I  think  it  the  most  painful  way  of  taking 
pleasure,  sir — that  is  the  actual  transit.  And 
sleeping  cars  and  electric-lighted  steamers 
and  hotels  do  not  mitigate  the  suffering.  If 
Dante  was  writing  now  he  might  depict  a  con 
stant  round  of  personally  conducted  tours  in 
Purgatory.  I  should  think  the  punishment 
adequate  for  any  offense.  But  I  like  arriving 
at  places.  New  York  has  given  me  a  lot  of 
new  sensations  to-day,  and  I  have  forgotten 
the  transit  troubles  already." 

He  talked  well  and  temperately,  and  yet 
Ethel  could  not  avoid  the  conclusion  that  he 
was  a  man  of  positive  character  and  uncom 
promising  prejudices.  And  she  also  felt  a 
little  disappointed  in  his  personality,  which 
contradicted  her  ideal  of  a  Yorkshire  squire. 
For  he  was  small  and  slender  in  stature,  and 
his  face  was  keen  and  thin,  from  the  high 
cheek  bones  to  the  sharp  point  of  the  clean 
shaven  chin.  Yet  it  was  an  interesting  face, 
for  the  brows  were  broad  and  the  eyes  bright 
and  glancing.  That  his  nature  held  the  op- 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  55 

posite  of  Ms  qualities  was  evident  from  the 
mouth,  which  was  composed  and  discreet  and 
generally  clothed  with  a  frank  smile,  nega 
tived  by  the  deep,  sonorous  voice  which  be 
longs  to  the  indiscreet  and  quarrelsome.  His 
dress  was  perfect.  Ethel  could  find  no  fault 
in  it,  except  the  monocle  which  he  did  not  use 
once  during  the  evening,  and  which  she  there 
fore  decided  was  a  quite  idle  and  unhandsome 
adjunct. 

One  feature  of  his  character  was  definite — 
he  was  a  home-loving  man.  He  liked  the  so 
ciety  of  women  with  whom  he  could  be  famil 
iar,  and  he  preferred  the  company  of  books 
and  music  to  fashionable  social  functions. 
This  pleasant  habit  of  domesticity  was  illus 
trated  during  the  evening  by  an  accidental  in 
cident — a  noisy,  mechanical  street  organ 
stopped  before  the  windows,  and  in  a  blatant 
manner  began  its  performance.  Conversa 
tion  was  paralyzed  by  the  intrusion  and  when 
it  was  removed  Judge  Rawdon  said:  "  What 
a  democratic,  leveling,  aggressive  thing  music 
is!  It  insists  on  being  heard.  It  is  always 
in  the  way,  it  thrusts  itself  upon  you,  whether 
you  want  it  or  not.  Now  art  is  different. 
You  go  to  see  pictures  when  you  wish  to." 

Mostyn   did   not   notice   the   criticism   on 


56  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

music  itself,  but  added  in  a  soft,  disapproving 
way : ' '  That  man  has  no  music  in  him.  Do  you 
know  that  was  one  of  Mendelssohn's  delicious 
dreams.  This  is  how  it  should  have  been  ren 
dered,"  and  he  went  impulsively  to  the  piano 
and  then  the  sweet  monotonous  cadences  and 
melodious  reveries  slipped  from  his  long  white 
fingers  till  the  whole  room  was  permeated 
with  a  delicious  sense  of  moonlit  solitude  and 
conversation  was  stilled  in  its  languor.  The 
young  man  had  played  his  own  dismissal,  but 
it  was  an  effective  one,  and  he  complimented 
himself  on  his  readiness  to  seize  opportunities 
for  display,  and  on  his  genius  in  satisfying 
them. 

"  I  think  I  astonished  them  a  little,"  he 
mused,  "  and  I  wonder  what  that  pretty 
cousin  of  mine  thought  of  the  music  and  the 
musician.  I  fancy  we  shall  be  good  friends; 
she  is  proud — that  is  no  fault;  and  she  has 
very  decided  opinions — which,  might  be  a 
great  fault;  but  I  think  I  rather  astonished 
them." 

To  such  reflections  he  stepped  rather  pomp 
ously  down  the  avenue,  not  at  all  influenced  by 
any  premonition  that  his  satisfactory  feelings 
might  be  imperfectly  shared.  Yet  silence 
was  the  first  result  of  his  departure.  Judge 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  57 

Kawdon  took  out  his  pocketbook  and  began 
to  study  its  entries.  Ruth  Bayard  rose  and 
closed  the  piano.  Ethel  lifted  a  magazine, 
while  it  was  Madam  who  finally  asked  in  an 
impatient  tone : 

"  .What  do  you  think  of  Frederick?  I  sup 
pose,  Edward,  you  have  an  opinion.  Isn't  he 
a  very  clever  man?  ' 

"  I  should  not  wonder  if  he  were,  mother, 
clever  to  a  fault. ' ' 

"  I  never  heard  a  young  man  talk  better." 

"  He  talked  a  great  deal,  but  then,  you 
know,  he  was  not  on  his  oath." 

"I'll  warrant  every  word  he  said." 

"  Your  warrant  is  fine  surety,  mother,  but 
I  am  not  bound  to  believe  all  I  hear.  iYbu 
women  can  please  yourselves." 

And  with  these  words  he  left  the  women  to 
find  out,  if  they  could,  what  manner  of  man 
their  newly-found  kinsman  might  be. 


CHAPTER   III 

ONE  of  the  most  comfortable  things  about 
Frederick  Mostyn  was  his  almost  boyish  de 
light  in  the  new  life  which  New  York  opened 
to  him.  Every  phase  of  it  was  so  fresh,  so 
unusual,  that  his  Yorkshire  existence  at  Mos 
tyn  Hall  gave  him  no  precedents  and  no  ex 
periences  by  which  to  measure  events.  The 
simplest  things  were  surprising  or  interesting. 
He  was  never  weary  of  taking  those  exciting 
"  lifts  "  to  the  top  of  twenty-three  story  build 
ings  and  admiring  the  wonderful  views  such 
altitudes  gave  him.  He  did  not  perhaps  com 
prehend  how  much  he  was  influenced  by  the 
friction  of  two  million  wills  and  interests ;  did 
not  realize  how  they  evoked  an  electric  condi 
tion  that  got  behind  the  foreground  of  exist 
ence  and  stirred  something  more  at  the  roots 
of  his  being  than  any  previous  experience  had 
ever  done.  And  this  feeling  was  especially 
entrancing  when  he  saw  the  great  city  and 
majestic  river  lying  at  his  feet  in  the  white, 
uncanny  light  of  electricity,  all  its  color  gone, 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  59 

its  breath  cold,  its  life  strangely  remote  and 
quiet,  men  moving  like  shadows,  and  sounds 
hollow  and  faint  and  far  off,  as  if  they  came 
from  a  distant  world.  It  gave  him  a  sense  of 
dreamland  quite  as  much  as  that  of  reality. 
The  Yorkshire  moors  and  wolds  grew  dull  and 
dreary  in  his  memory ;  even  the  thought  of  the 
hunting  field  could  not  lure  his  desire.  New 
York  was  full  of  marvelous  novelties;  its 
daily  routine,  even  in  the  hotel  and  on  the 
streets,  gripped  his  heart  and  his  imagination ; 
and  he  confessed  to  himself  that  New  York 
was  life  at  first  hand;  fresh  drawn,  its  very 
foam  sparkling  and  intoxicating.  He  walked 
from  the  Park  to  the  Battery  and  examined 
all  that  caught  his  eye.  He  had  a  history  of 
the  city  and  sought  out  every  historical  site; 
he  even  went  over  to  Weehawken,  and  did  his 
best  to  locate  the  spot  where  Burr  and  Ham 
ilton  fought.  He  admired  Hamilton,  but 
after  reading  all  about  the  two  men,  gave  his 
sympathy  to  Burr,  "  a  clever,  unlucky  little 
chap,"  he  said.  "  Why  do  clever  men  hate 
each  other?  "  and  then  he  smiled  queerly  as 
he  remembered  political  enemies  of  great  men 
in  his  own  day  and  his  own  country ;  and  con 
cluded  that  "  it  was  their  nature  to  do  so." 
But  in  these  outside  enthusiasms  he  did  not 


60  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

forget  Ms  personal  relations.  It  took  him  but 
a  few  days  to  domesticate  himself  in  both  the 
Rawdon  houses.  When  the  weather  drove 
him  off  the  streets,  he  found  a  pleasant  refuge 
either  with  Madam  or  with  Ethel  and  Miss 
Bayard.  Ethel  he  saw  less  frequently  than  he 
liked ;  she  was  nearly  always  with  Dora  Den 
ning,  but  with  Ruth  Bayard  he  contracted  a 
very  pleasant  friendship.  He  told  her  all  his 
adventures  and  found  her  more  sympathetic 
than  Madam  ever  pretended  to  be.  Madam 
thought  him  provincial  in  his  tastes,  and  was 
better  pleased  to  hear  that  he  had  a  visiting 
entry  at  two  good  clubs,  and  had  hired  a 
motor  car,  and  was  learning  how  to  manage 
it.  Then  she  told  herself  that  if  he  was  good 
to  her,  she  would  buy  him  one  to  be  proud  of 
before  he  returned  to  Yorkshire. 

It  was  at  the  Elite  Club  Bryce  Denning 
first  saw  him.  He  came  in  with  Shaw  Mc 
Laren,  a  young  man  whose  acquaintance  was 
considered  as  most  definitely  satisfactory. 
[Vainly  Bryce  Denning  had  striven  to  obtain 
any  notice  whatever  from  McLaren,  whose  ex- 
clusiveness  was  proverbial.  Who  then  was  this 
stranger  he  appeared  so  anxious  to  entertain  ? 
His  look  of  supreme  satisfaction,  his  high- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  61 

bred  air,  and  peculiar  intonation  quickly  sat 
isfied  Bryce  as  to  his  nationality. 

"  English,  of  course,"  he  reflected,  "  and 
probably  one  of  the  aristocrats  that  Shaw 
meets  at  his  recently  ennobled  sister's  place. 
He  is  forever  bragging  about  them.  I  must 
find  out  who  Shaw's  last  British  lion  is,"  and 
just  as  he  arrived  at  this  decision  the  person 
appeared  who  could  satisfy  him. 

"  That  man!  "  was  the  reply  to  the  inev 
itable  question — "  why,  he  is  some  relative 
of  the  old  lady  Rawdon.  He  is  staying  at  the 
Holland  House,  but  spends  his  time  with  the 
Rawdons,  old  and  young;  the  young  one  is  a 
beauty,  you  know." 

"  Do  you  think  so?  She  is  a  good  deal  at 
our  house.  I  suppose  the  fellow  has  some  pre- 
tentions.  Judge  Rawdon  will  be  a  man  hard 
to  satisfy  with  a  son-in-law." 

"  I  fancy  his  daughter  will  take  that  sub 
ject  in  her  own  hand.  She  looks  like  a  girl  of 
spirit;  and  this  man  is  not  as  handsome  as 
most  Englishmen. ' ' 

"  Not  if  you  judge  him  by  bulk,  but  women 
want  more  than  mere  bulk;  he  has  an  air  of 
breeding  you  can't  mistake,  and  he  looks 
clever." 

"  His  name  is  Mostyn.    I  have  heard  him 


62  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

spoken  of.    Would  you  like  to  know  him  ?  ' 

"  I  could  live  without  that  honor  '  —then 
Bryce  turned  the  conversation  upon  a  recent 
horse  sale,  and  a  few  moments  later  was  saun 
tering  up  the  avenue.  He  was  now  resolved  to 
make  up  his  quarrel  with  Dora.  Through 
Dora  he  could  manage  to  meet  Mostyn  so 
cially,  and  he  smiled  in  anticipation  of  that 
proud  moment  when  he  should  parade  in  his 
own  friendly  leash  McLaren's  new  British 
lion.  Besides,  the  introduction  to  Mr.  Mostyn 
might,  if  judiciously  managed,  promote  his 
own  acquaintance  with  Shaw  McLaren,  a  se 
quence  to  be  much  desired;  an  end  he  had 
persistently  looked  for. 

He  went  straight  to  his  sister's  apartments 
and  touched  the  bell  quite  gently.  Her  maid 
opened  the  door  and  looked  annoyed  and  un 
certain.  She  knew  all  about  the  cruelly 
wicked  opposition  of  Miss  Denning 's  brother 
to  that  nice  young  man,  Basil  Stanhope ;  ana 
also  the  general  attitude  of  the  Denning 
household,  which  was  a  comprehensive  dis 
approval  of  all  that  Mr.  Bryce  said  and  did. 
Dora  had,  however,  talked  all  her  anger 
away;  she  wished  now  to  be  friends  with  her 
brother.  She  knew  that  his  absence  from  her 
wedding  would  cause  unpleasant  notice,  and 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  63 

she  had  other  reasons,  purely  selfish,  all  em 
phasizing  the  advantages  of  a  reconciliation. 
So  she  went  to  meet  Bryce  with  a  pretty, 
pathetic  air  of  injury  patiently  endured,"  and 
when  Bryce  put  out  his  hands  and  said,  "  For 
give  me,  Dodo !  I  cannot  bear  your  anger  any 
longer!  "  she  was  quite  ready  for  the  next  act, 
which  was  to  lay  her  pretty  head  on  his  shoul 
der  and  murmur,  "  I  am  not  angry,  Bryce — I 
am  grieved,  dear." 

"  I  know,  Dodo — forgive  me!  It  was  all 
my  fault.  I  think  I  was  jealous  of  you;  it 
was  hard  to  find  that  you  loved  a  stranger 
better  than  you  loved  me.  Kiss  me,  and  be 
my  own  sweet,  beautiful  sister  again.  I  shall 
try  to  like  all  the  people  you  like — for  your 
sake,  you  know." 

Then  Dora  was  charming.  She  sat  and 
talked  and  planned  and  told  him  all  that  had 
been  done  and  all  that  was  yet  to  do.  And 
Bryce  never  once  named  either  Ethel  or  Mr. 
Mostyn.  He  knew  Dora  was  a  shrewd  little 
woman,  and  that  he  would  have  to  be  very 
careful  in  introducing  the  subject  of  Mr. 
Mostyn,  or  else  she  would  be  sure  to  reach  the 
central  truth  of  his  submission  to  her.  But, 
somehow,  things  happen  for  those  who  are 
content  to  leave  their  desires  to  contingencies 


64  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

and  accidentals.  The  next  morning  he  break 
fasted  with  the  family  and  felt  himself  repaid 
for  his  concession  to  Dora  by  the  evident 
pleasure  their  renewed  affection  gave  his  fa 
ther  and  mother;  and  though  the  elder  Den 
ning  made  no  remark  in  the  renewed  f amily 
solidarity,  Bryce  anticipated  many  little 
favors  and  accommodations  from  his  father's 
satisfaction. 

After  breakfast  he  sat  down,  lit  his  cigar 
and  waited.  Both  his  mother  and  Dora  had 
much  to  tell  him,  and  he  listened,  and  gave 
them  such  excellent  advice  that  they  were 
compelled  to  regret  the  arrangements  already 
made  had  lacked  the  benefit  of  his  counsels. 

"  But  you  had  Ethel  Rawdon,"  he  said. 
"  I  thought  she  was  everybody  rolled  into 
one." 

"  Oh,  Ethel  doesn't  know  as  much  as  she 
thinks  she  does,"  said  Mrs.  Denning.  "  I 
don't  agree  with  lots  of  things  she  advises." 

"  Then  take  my  advice,  mother." 

"  Oh,  Bryce,  it  is  the  best  of  all." 

11  Bryce  does  not  know  about  dress  and  such 
things,  mother.  Ethel  finds  out  what  she  does 
not  know.  Bryce  cannot  go  to  modistes  and 
milliners  with  me." 

"  Well,  Ethel  does  not  pay  as  much  atten- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  65 

tion  as  she  might — she  is  always  going  some 
where  or  other  with  that  Englishman,  that  she 
says  is  a  relative — for  my  part,  I  doubt  it." 

"Oh,  mother!" 

"  Girls  will  say  anything,  Dora,  to  hide  a 
love  affair.  Why  does  she  never  bring  him 
here  to  call?  " 

"  Because  I  asked  her  not.  I  do  not  want 
to  make  new  friends,  especially  English  ones, 
now.  I  am  so  busy  all  day,  and  of  course  my 
evenings  belong  to  Basil." 

"  Yes,  and  there  is  no  one  to  talk  to  me. 
Ethel  and  the  Englishman  would  pass  an  hour 
or  two  very  nicely,  and  your  father  is  very 
fond  of  foreigners.  I  think  you  ought  to  ask 
Ethel  to  introduce  him  to  us;  then  we  could 
have  a  little  dinner  for  him  and  invite  him  to 
our  opera  box — don't  you  agree  with  me, 
Bryce?" 

"  If  Dora  does.  Of  course,  at  this  time, 
Dora's  wishes  and  engagements  are  the  most 
important.  I  have  seen  the  young  man  at  the 
club  with  Shaw  McLaren  and  about  town  with 
Judge  Rawdon  and  others.  He  seems  a  nice 
little  fellow.  Jack  Lacy  wanted  to  introduce 
me  to  him  yesterday,  but  I  told  him  I  could 
live  without  the  honor.  Of  course,  if  Dora 
feels  like  having  him  here  that  is  a  very  dif- 


66  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

ferent  matter.  He  is  certainly  distinguished 
looking,  and  would  give  an  air  to  the  wed 
ding." 

"  Is  he  handsome,  Bryce?  ' 

"  Yes — and  no.  Women  would  rave  about 
him ;  men  would  think  him  finical  and  dandi 
fied.  He  looks  as  if  he  were  the  happiest  fel 
low  in  the  world — in  fact,  he  looked  to  me  so 
provokingly  happy  that  I  disliked  him;  but 
now  that  Dodo  is  my  little  sister  again,  I  can 
be  happy  enough  to  envy  no  one." 

Then  Dora  slipped  her  hand  into  her  broth 
er's  hand,  and  Bryce  knew  that  he  might 
take  his  way  to  his  little  office  in  William 
Street,  the  advent  of  Mr.  Mostyn  into  his  life 
being  now  as  certain  as  anything  in  this  ques 
tionable,  fluctuating  world  could  be.  As  he 
was  sauntering  down  the  avenue  he  met  Ethel 
and  he  turned  and  walked  back  with  her  to 
the  Denning  house.  He  was  so  good-natured 
and  so  good-humored  that  Ethel  could  not 
avoid  an  inquisitive  look  at  the  usually  glum 
young  man,  and  he  caught  it  with  a  laugh  and 
said,  "  I  suppose  you  wonder  what  is  the  mat 
ter  with  me,  Miss  Rawdon?  ' 

"  You  look  more  than  usually  happy.  If  I 
suppose  you  have  found  a  wife  or  a  fortune, 
shall  I  be  wrong?  " 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  67 

"  You  come  near  the  truth;  I  have  found  a 
sister.  Do  you  know  I  am  very  fond  of  Dora 
and  we  have  made  up  our  quarrel?  ' 

Then  Ethel  looked  at  him  again.  She  did 
not  believe  him.  She  was  sure  that  Dora  was 
not  the  only  evoker  of  the  unbounded  satis 
faction  in  Bryce  Denning 's  face  and  manner. 
But  she  let  the  reason  pass ;  she  had  no  likely 
arguments  to  use  against  it.  And  that  day 
Mrs.  Denning,  with  a  slight  air  of  injury, 
opened  the  subject  of  Mr.  Mostyn's  introduc 
tion  to  them.  She  thought  Ethel  had  hardly 
treated  the  Dennings  fairly.  Everyone  was 
wondering  they  had  not  met  him.  Of  course, 
she  knew  they  were  not  aristocrats  and  she 
supposed  Ethel  was  ashamed  of  them,  but,  for 
her  part,  she  thought  they  were  as  good  as 
most  people,  and  if  it  came  to  money,  they 
could  put  down  dollar  for  dollar  with  any 
multi-millionaire  in  America,  or  England 
either,  for  that  matter. 

When  the  reproach  took  this  tone  there 
seemed  to  be  only  one  thing  for  Ethel  to  say  or 
to  do ;  but  that  one  thing  was  exactly  what  she 
did  not  say  or  do.  She  took  up  Mrs.  Den 
ning 's  reproach  and  complained  that  "  her 
relative  and  friend  had  been  purposely  and 
definitely  ignored.  Dora  had  told  her  plainly 


68  THE  MAN  BETWEEN" 

she  did  not  wish  to  make  Mr.  Mostyn 's  ac 
quaintance;  and,  in  accord  with  this  feeling, 
no  one  in  the  Denning  family  had  called  on 
Mr.  Mostyn,  or  shown  him  the  least  courtesy. 
She  thought  the  whole  Eawdon  family  had 
the  best  of  reasons  for  feeling  hurt  at  the 
neglect." 

This  view  of  the  case  had  not  entered  Mrs. 
Denning 's  mind.  She  was  quickly  sorry  and 
apologetic  for  Dora's  selfishness  and  her  own 
thoughtlessness,  and  Ethel  was  not  difficult  to 
pacify.  There  was  then  no  duty  so  impera 
tive  as  the  arrangement  of  a  little  dinner  for 
Mr.  Mostyn.  "  We  will  make  it  quite  a  fam 
ily  affair,"  said  Mrs.  Denning,  "  then  we  can 
go  to  the  opera  afterwards.  Shall  I  call  on 
Mr.  Mostyn  at  the  Holland  House?  "  she 
asked  anxiously. 

"  I  will  ask  Bryce  to  call,"  said  Dora. 
"  Bryce  will  do  anything  to  please  me  now, 
mother." 

In  this  way,  Bryce  Denning 's  desires  were 
all  arranged  for  him,  and  that  evening  Dora 
made  her  request.  Bryce  heard  it  with  a  pro 
nounced  pout  of  his  lips,  but  finally  told  Dora 
she  was  "  irresistible,"  and  as  his  time  for 
pleasing  her  was  nearly  out,  he  would  even 
call  on  the  Englishman  at  her  request. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  69 

"  Mind!  "  he  added,  "  I  think  he  is  as  proud 
as  Lucifer,  and  I  may  get  nothing  for  my  civ 
ility  but  the  excuse  of  a  previous  engage 
ment." 

But  Bryce  Denning  expected  much  more 
than  this,  and  he  got  all  that  he  expected. 
The  young  men  had  a  common  ground  to  meet 
on,  and  they  quickly  became  as  intimate  as 
ever  Frederick  Mostyn  permitted  himself  to 
be  with  a  stranger.  Bryce  could  hardly  help 
catching  enthusiasm  from  Mostyn  on  the  sub 
ject  of  New  York,  and  he  was  able  to  show 
his  new  acquaintance  phases  of  life  in  the 
marvelous  city  which  were  of  the  greatest 
interest  to  the  inquisitive  Yorkshire  squire — 
Chinese  theaters  and  opium  dives;  German, 
Italian,  Spanish,  Jewish,  French  cities  shel 
tering  themselves  within  the  great  arms  of  the 
great  American  city ;  queer  restaurants,  where 
lie  could  eat  of  the  national  dishes  of  every 
civilized  country  under  the  sun;  places  of 
amusement,  legal  and  illegal,  and  the  vast 
under  side  of  the  evident  life — all  the  uncared 
for  toiling  of  the  thousands  who  work  through 
the  midnight  hours.  In  these  excursions  the 
young  men  became  in  a  way  familiar,  though 
neither  of  them  ever  told  the  other  the  real 


70  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

feelings  of  their  hearts  or  the  real  aim  of 
their  lives. 

The  proposed  dinner  took  place  ten  days 
after  its  suggestion.  There  was  nothing  re 
markable  in  the  function  itself;  all  million 
aires  have  the  same  delicacies  and  the  same 
wines,  and  serve  these  things  with  precisely 
the  same  ceremonies.  And,  as  a  general  thing, 
the  company  follow  rigidly  ordained  laws  of 
conversation.  Stories  about  public  people,  re 
marks  about  the  weather  and  the  opera,  are  in 
order;  but  original  ideas  or  decided  opinions 
are  unpardonable  social  errors.  Yet  even 
these  commonplace  events  may  contain  some 
element  that  shall  unexpectedly  cut  a  life  in 
two,  and  so  change  its  aims  and  desires  as  to 
virtually  create  a  new  character.  It  was  Fred 
erick  Mostyn  who  in  this  instance  underwent 
this  great  personal  change;  a  change  totally 
unexpected  and  for  which  he  was  absolutely 
unprepared.  For  the  people  gathered  in  Mrs. 
Denning 's  drawing-room  were  mostly  known 
to  him,  and  the  exceptions  did  not  appear  to 
possess  any  remarkable  traits,  except  Basil 
Stanhope,  who  stood  thoughtfully  at  a  win 
dow,  his  pale,  lofty  beauty  wearing  an  air  of 
expectation.  Mostyn  decided  that  he  was  nat 
urally  impatient  for  the  presence  of  his 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  71 

fiancee,  whose  delayed  entrance  he  perceived 
was  also  annoying  Ethel.  Then  there  was  a 
slight  movement,  a  sudden  silence,  and  Mos- 
tyn  saw  Stanhope's  face  flush  and  turn  mag 
ically  radiant.  Mechanically  he  followed  his 
movement  and  the  next  moment  his  eyes 
met  Fate,  and  Love  slipped  in  between. 
Dora  was  there,  a  fairy-like  vision  in  pale 
amber  draperies,  softened  with  silk  lace.  Dia 
monds  were  in  her  wonderfully  waved  hair 
and  round  her  fair  white  neck.  They  clasped 
her  belt  and  adorned  the  instep  of  her  little 
amber  silk  slippers.  She  held  a  yellow  rose 
in  her  hand,  and  yellow  rosebuds  lay  among 
the  lace  at  her  bosom,  and  Mostyn,  stupefied 
by  her  undreamed-of  loveliness,  saw  golden 
emanations  from  the  clear  pallor  of  her  face. 
He  felt  for  a  moment  or  two  as  if  he  should 
certainly  faint ;  only  by  a  miracle  of  stubborn 
will  did  he  drag  his  consciousness  from  that 
golden-tinted,  sparkling  haze  of  beauty  which 
had  smitten  him  like  an  enchantment.  Then 
the  girl  was  looking  at  him  with  her  soft, 
dark,  gazelle  eyes;  she  was  even  speaking  to 
him,  but  what  she  said,  or  what  reply  he  made, 
he  could  never  by  any  means  remember.  Miss 
Bayard  was  to  be  his  companion,  and  with 
some  effort  and  a  few  indistinct  words  he  gave 


.72  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

her  Ms  arm.  She  asked  if  he  was  ill,  and  when 
a  shake  of  the  head  answered  the  query,  she 
covered  the  few  minutes  of  his  disconcertion 
with  her  conversation.  He  looked  at  her 
gratefully  and  gathered  his  personality  to 
gether.  For  Love  had  come  to  him  like  a  two- 
edged  sword,  dividing  the  flesh  and  the  spirit, 
and  he  longed  to  cry  aloud  and  relieve  the 
sweet  torture  of  the  possession. 

Reaction,  however,  came  quickly,  and  with 
it  a  wonderful  access  of  all  his  powers.  The 
sweet,  strong  wine  of  Love  went  to  his  brain 
like  celestial  nectar.  All  the  witty,  amusing 
things  he  had  ever  heard  came  trooping  into 
his  memory,  and  the  dinner  was  long  delayed 
by  his  fine  humor,  his  pleasant  anecdotes,  and 
the  laughing  thoughts  which  others  caught  up 
and  illustrated  in  their  own  way. 

It  was  a  feast  full  of  good  things,  but  its 
spirit  was  not  able  to  bear  transition.  The 
company  scattered  quickly  when  it  was  over 
to  the  opera  or  theater  or  to  the  rest  of  a  quiet 
evening  at  home,  for  at  the  end  enthusiasm 
of  any  kind  has  a  chilling  effect  on  the  feel 
ings.  None  of  the  party  understood  this  re 
sult,  and  yet  all  were,  in  their  way,  affected 
by  the  sudden  fall  of  mental  temperature. 
Mr.  Denning  went  to  his  library  and  took  out 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  73 

his  private  ledger,  a  penitential  sort  of  read 
ing  which  he  relished  after  moods  of  any  kind 
of  enjoyment.  Mrs.  Denning  selected  Ethel 
Rawdon  for  her  text  of  disillusion.  She 
"  thought  Ethel  had  been  a  little  jealous  of 
Dora's  dress, "  and  Dora  said,  "  It  was  one 
of  her  surprises,  and  Ethel  thought  she 
ought  to  know  everything."  "  You  are  too 
obedient  to  Ethel,"  continued  Mrs.  Denning, 
and  Dora  looked  with  a  charming  demure- 
ness  at  her  lover,  and  said,  "  She  had  to  be 
obedient  to  some  one  wiser  than  herself,"  and 
so  slipped  her  hand  into  Basil's  hand.  And 
he  understood  the  promise,  and  with  a  look 
of  passionate  affection  raised  the  little 
jeweled  pledge  and  kissed  it. 

Perhaps  no  one  was  more  affected  by  this 
chill,  critical  after-hour  than  Miss  Bayard 
and  Ethel.  Mostyn  accompanied  them  home, 
but  he  was  depressed,  and  his  courtesy  had 
the  air  of  an  obligation.  He  said  he  had  a 
sudden  headache,  and  was  not  sorry  when  the 
ladies  bid  him  "  good  night  "  on  the  thresh 
old.  Indeed,  he  felt  that  he  must  have  re 
fused  any  invitation  to  lengthen  out  the 
hours  with  them  or  anybody.  He  wanted 
one  thing,  and  he  wanted  that  with  all  his 
soul — solitude,  that  he  might  fill  it  with 


74  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

images  of  Dora,  and  with  passionate  prom 
ises  that  either  by  fair  means  or  by  foul,  by 
right  or  by  wrong,  he  would  win  the  bewitch 
ing  woman  for  his  wife. 


CHAPTER  IV 

"  WHAT  do  you  think  of  the  evening,  Aunt 
Ruth*?"  Ethel  was  in  her  aunt's  room,  com 
fortably  wrapped  in  a  pink  kimono,  when  she 
asked  this  question. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Ethel?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure." 

"  The  dinner  was  well  served." 

"  Yes.  Who  was  the  little  dark  man  you 
talked  with,  aunt?  " 

"  He  was  a  Mr.  Harriot,  a  banker,  and  a 
friend  of  Bryce  Denning 's.  He  is  a  fresh 
addition  to  society,  I  think.  He  had  the 
word  '  gold  '  always  on  his  lips ;  and  he  be 
lieves  in  it  as  good  men  believe  in  God.  The 
general  conversation  annoyed  him;  he  could 
not  understand  men  being  entertained  by  it." 

"  They  were,  though,  for  once  Jamie  Sayer 
forgot  to  talk  about  his  pictures." 

"  Is  that  the  name  of  your  escort?  ' 

"  Yes." 

"  And  is  he  an  artist?  ' 

"'A    second-rate    one.      He    is    painting 


76  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Dora's  picture,  and  is  a  great  favorite  of 
Mrs.  Denning 's." 

"  A  strange,  wild-looking  man.  When  I 
saw  him  first  he  was  lying,  dislocated,  over 
his  ottoman  rather  than  sitting  on  it." 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  part  of  his  affectations. 
He  is  really  a  childish,  self-conscious  crea 
ture,  with  a  very  decided  dash  of  vulgarity. 
He  only  tries  to  look  strange  and  wild,  and 
he  would  be  delighted  if  he  knew  you  had 
thought  him  so." 

"  I  was  glad  to  see  Claudine  Jeffrys.  How 
slim  and  graceful  she  is!  And,  pray,  who  is 
that  Miss  Ullman?  " 

"  A  very  rich  woman.  She  has  Bryce 
under  consideration.  Many  other  men  have 
been  in  the  same  position,  for  she  is  sure  they 
all  want  her  money  and  not  her.  Perhaps 
she  is  right.  I  saw  you  talking  to  her,  aunt." 

"  For  a  short  time.  I  did  not  enjoy  her 
company.  She  is  so  mercilessly  realistic,  she 
takes  all  the  color  out  of  life.  Everything 
about  her,  even  her  speech,  is  sharp-lined  as 
the  edge  of  a  knife.  She  could  make  Bryce 's 
life  very  miserable." 

"  Perhaps  it  might  turn  out  the  other  way. 
Bryce  Denning  has  capacities  in  the  same 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  77 

line.  How  far  apart,  how  far  above  every; 
man  there,  stood  Basil  Stanhope  1  " 

"He  is  strikingly  handsome  and  graceful, 
and  I  am  sure  that  his  luminous  serenity  does 
not  arise  from  apathy.  I  should  say  he  was 
a  man  of  very  strong  and  tender  feelings." 

"  And  he  gives  all  the  strength  and  tender 
ness  of  his  feelings  to  Dora.  Men  are  strange 
creatures." 

"  Who  directed  Dora's  dress  this  even 
ing?  " 

"  Herself  or  her  maid.  I  had  nothing  to 
do  with  it.  The  effect  was  stunning. " 

"  Fred  thought  so.  In  fact,  Fred  Mos- 
tyn- 

"  Fell  in  love  with  her." 

"  Exactly.  '  Fell,'  that  is  the  word— fell 
prostrate.  Usually  the  lover  of  to-day  walks 
very  timidly  and  carefully  into  the  condition, 
step  by  step,  and  calculating  every  step  be 
fore  he  takes  it.  Fred  plunged  headlong  into 
the  whirling  vortex.  I  am  very  sorry.  It  is 
a  catastrophe." 

"  I  never  witnessed  the  accident  before.  I 
have  heard  of  men  getting  wounds  and  falls, 
and  developing  new  faculties  in  consequence, 
but  we  saw  the  phenomenon  take  place  this 
evening." 


78  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

"  Love,  if  it  be  love,  is  known  in  a  moment. 
A  man  who  never  saw  the  sun  before  would 
know  it  was  the  sun.  In  Fred's  case  it  was 
an  instantaneous,  impetuous  passion,  flaming 
up  at  the  sight  of  such  unexpected  beauty — 
a  passion  that  will  probably  fade  as  rapidly 
as  it  rose." 

"  Fred  is  not  that  kind  of  a  man,  aunt.  He 
does  not  like  every  one  and  everything,  but 
whoever  or  whatever  he  does  like  becomes  a 
lasting  part  of  his  life.  Even  the  old  chairs 
and  tables  at  Mostyn  are  held  as  sacred  ob 
jects  by  him,  though  I  have  no  doubt  an 
American  girl  would  trundle  them  off  to  the 
garret.  It  is  the  same  with  the  people.  He 
actually  regards  the  Kawdons  as  belonging  in 
some  way  to  the  Mostyns ;  and  I  do  not  believe 
he  has  ever  been  in  love  before." 

"  Nonsense!  ' 

"  He  was  so  surprised  by  the  attack.  If 
it  had  been  the  tenth  or  twentieth  time  he 
would  have  taken  it  more  philosophically; 
besides,  if  he  had  ever  loved  any  woman,  he 
would  have  gone  on  loving  her,  and  we  should 
have  known  all  about  her  perfections  by  this 
time." 

"  Dora  is  nearly  a  married  woman,  and 
Mostyn  knows  it." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  79 

"  Nearly  may  make  all  the  difference. 
When  Dora  is  married  he  will  be  compelled 
to  accept  the  inevitable  and  make  the  best  of 
it" 

"  When  Dora  is  married  he  will  idealize 
her,  and  assure  himself  that  her  marriage  is 
the  tragedy  of  both  their  lives." 

"  Dora  will  give  him  no  reason  to  suppose 
such  a  thing.  I  am  sure  she  will  not.  She  is 
too  much  in  love  with  Mr.  Stanhope  to  notice 
any  other  lover." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Ethel.  Swiftly  as 
Fred  was  vanquished  she  noticed  it,  and  many 
times — once  even  while  leaning  on  Mr.  Stan 
hope's  arm — she  turned  the  arrow  in  the 
heart  wound  with  sweet  little  glances  and 
smiles,  and  pretty  appeals  to  the  blind  adora 
tion  of  her  new  lover.  It  was,  to  me,  a  hu 
miliating  spectacle.  How  could  she  do  it?  ' 

"  I  am  sure  Dora  meant  no  wrong.  It  is 
so  natural  for  a  lovely  girl  to  show  off  a 
little.  She  will  marry  and  forget  Fred  Mos- 
tyn  lives." 

"  And  Fred  will  forget?  " 

"  Fred  will  not  forget." 

"  Then  I  shall  be  very  sorry  for  your  fa 
ther  and  grandmother." 


80  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  What  have  they  to  do  with  Fred  marry 
ing1?  " 

"  A  great  deal.  Fred  has  been  so  familar 
and  homely  the  last  two  or  three  weeks,  that 
they  have  come  to  look  upon  him  as  a  future 
member  of  the  family.  It  has  been  '  Cousin 
Ethel '  and  *  Aunt  Ruth  '  and  even  *  grand 
mother  '  and  *  Cousin  Fred,'  and  no  objec 
tions  have  been  made  to  the  use  of  such  per 
sonal  terms.  I  think  your  father  hopes  for  a 
closer  tie  between  you  and  Fred  Mostyn  than 
cousinship." 

"  Whatever  might  have  been  is  over.  Do 
you  imagine  I  could  consent  to  be  the  sec 
ondary  deity,  to  come  after  Dora — Dora  of 
all  the  girls  I  have  ever  known?  The  idea  is 
an  insult  to  my  heart  and  my  intelligence. 
Nothing  on  earth  could  make  me  submit  to 
such  an  indignity." 

"  I  do  not  suppose,  Ethel,  that  any  wife  is 
the  first  object  of  her  husband's  love." 

"  At  least  they  tell  her  she  is  so,  swear  it 
an  inch  deep ;  and  no  woman  is  fool  enough  to 
look  beyond  that  oath,  but  when  she  is  sure 
that  she  is  a  second  best !  Ah!  That  is  not  a 
position  I  will  ever  take  in  any  man's  heart 
knowingly." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  81 

"  Of  course,  Fred  Mostyn  will  have  to 
marry." 

"  Of  course,  lie  will  make  a  duty  of  the 
event.  The  line  of  Mostyns  must  be  con 
tinued.  England  might  go  to  ruin  if  the  Mos 
tyns  perished  off  the  English  earth;  but, 
'Aunt  Ruth,  I  count  myself  worthy  of  a  better 
fate  than  to  become  a  mere  branch  in  the 
genealogical  tree  of  the  Mostyns.  And  that 
is  all  Fred  Mostyn 's  wife  will  ever  be  to  him, 
unless  he  marries  Dora." 

"  But  that  very  supposition  implies  trag 
edy,  and  it  is  most  unlikely." 

"  Yes,  for  Dora  is  a  good  little  thing.  She 
has  never  been  familiar  with  vice.  She  has 
even  a  horror  of  poor  women  divorced  from 
impossible  husbands.  She  believes  her  mar 
riage  will  be  watched  by  the  angels,  and  re 
corded  in  heaven.  Basil  has  instructed  her 
to  regard  marriage  as  a  holy  sacrament,  and 
I  am  sure  he  does  the  same." 

"  Then  why  should  we  forecast  evil  to  their 
names  ?  As  for  Cousin  Fred,  I  dare  say  he  is 
comfortably  asleep." 

"  I  am  sure  he  is  not.  I  believe  he  is 
smoking  and  calling  himself  names  for  not 
having  come  to  New  York  last  May,  when 


82  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

father  first  invited  him.  Had  he  done  so 
things  might  have  been  different." 

"•[Yes,  they  might.  When  Good  Fortune 
calls,  and  the  called  '  will  not  when  they  may,' 
then,  (  when  they  will  '  Good  Fortune  has  be 
come  Misfortune.  Welcome  a  pleasure  or  a 
gain  at  once,  or  don't  answer  it  at  all.  It  was 
on  this  rock,  Ethel,  the  bark  that  carried  my 
love  went  to  pieces.  I  know;  yes,  I  know!  ' 

"  My  dear  aunt!  ' 

"  It  is  all  right  now,  dear;  but  things  might 
have  been  that  are  not.  As  to  Dora,  I  think 
she  may  be  trusted  with  Basil  Stanhope.  He 
is  one  of  the  best  and  handsomest  men  I  ever 
saw,  and  he  has  now  rights  in  Dora's  love  no 
one  can  tamper  with.  Mostyn  is  an  honor 
able  man." 

"  All  right, 


"Love  will  venture  in, 

Where  he  daurna  well  be  seen; 
0  Love  will  venture  in, 
Where  Wisdom  once  has  been— 


and  then,  aunt,  what  then?  " 


PABT  SECOND 


PLAYING  WITH  FIRE 


CHAPTER  Y 

THE  next  day  after  lunch  Ethel  said  she 
was  going  to  walk  down  to  Gramercy  Park 
and  spend  an  hour  or  two  with  her  grand 
mother,  and  "  Will  you  send  the  carriage  for 
me  at  five  o'clock?  "  she  asked. 

"  Your  father  has  ordered  the  carriage  to 
be  at  the  Holland  House  at  five  o'clock.  It 
can  call  for  you  first,  and  then  go  to  the  Hol 
land  House.  But  do  not  keep  your  father 
waiting.  If  he  is  not  at  the  entrance  give 
your  card  to  the  outside  porter;  he  will  have 
it  sent  up  to  Fred's  apartments." 

"  Then  father  is  calling  on  Fred?  What 
for?  Is  he  sick?" 

"  Oh,  no,  business  of  some  kind.  I  hope 
you  will  have  a  pleasant  walk." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  it." 

Indeed,  she  was  radiant  with  its  exhilara 
tion  when  she  reached  Gramercy  Park.  As 
she  ran  up  the  steps  of  the  big,  old-fash 
ioned  house  she  saw  Madam  at  the  window 
picking  up  some  dropped  stitches  in  her  knit 
ting.  Madam  saw  her  at  the  same  moment, 


86  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

and  the  old  face  and  the  young  face  both  alike 
kindled  with  love,  as  well  as  with  happy  an 
ticipation  of  coveted  intercourse. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you,  darling  Granny. 
I  could  not  wait  until  to-morrow. ' ' 

"  And  why  should  you,  child?  I  have  been 
watching  for  you  all  morning.  I  want  to  hear 
about  the  Denning  dinner.  I  suppose  you 
went?  " 

"  Yes,  we  went;  we  had  to.  Dinners  in 
strange  houses  are  a  common  calamity;  I 
can't  expect  to  be  spared  what  everyone  has 
to  endure." 

"  Don't  be  affected,  Ethel.  You  like  going 
out  to  dinner.  Of  course,  you  do !  It  is  only 
natural,  considering." 

"  I  don't,  Granny.  I  like  dances  and  the 
aters  and  operas,  but  I  don't  like  dinners. 
However,  the  Denning  dinner  was  a  grand 
exception.  It  gave  me  and  the  others  a  sen 
sation." 

"  I  expected  that." 

"  It  was  beautifully  ordered.  Major-domo 
Parkinson  saw  to  that.  If  he  had  arranged 
it  for  his  late  employer,  the  Duke  of  Rich 
mond,  it  could  not  have  been  finer.  There 
was  not  a  break  anywhere." 

"  How  many  were  present?  " 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  87. 

"  Just  a  dozen." 

"  Mr.    Denning    and    Bryce,    of    course. 
Who  were  the  others?  ' 

"  Mr.  Stanhope,  of  course.  Granny,  he 
wore  his  clerical  dress.  It  made  him  look  so 
remarkable." 

"  He  did  right.  A  clergyman  ought  to  look 
different  from  other  men.  I  do  not  believe 
Basil  Stanhope,  having  assumed  the  dress  of 
a  servant  of  God,  would  put  it  off  one  hour 
for  any  social  exigency.  Why  should  he  ?  It 
is  a  grander  attire  than  any  military  or  naval 
uniform,  and  no  court  dress  is  comparable, 
for  it  is  the  court  dress  of  the  King  of  kings." 

"  All  right,  dear  Granny;  you  always  make 
things  clear  to  me,  yet  I  meet  lots  of  clergy 
men  in  evening  dress." 

"  Then  they  ought  not  to  be  clergymen. 
They  ought  not  to  wear  coats  in  which  they 
can  hold  any  kind  of  opinions.  Who  was  your 
companion?  ' 

"  Jamie  Sayer." 

"  I  never  heard  of  the  man." 

"  He  is  an  artist,  and  is  painting  Dora's 
likeness.  He  is  getting  on  now,  but  in  the 
past,  like  all  artists,  he  has  suffered  a  deal." 

"  God's  will  be  done.     Let  them  suffer. 


88  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

It  is  good  for  genius  to  suffer.  Is  he  in  love 
with  you?  " 

"  Gracious,  Granny!  His  head  is  so  full 
of  pictures  that  no  woman  could  find  room 
there,  and  if  one  did,  the  next  new  picture 
would  crowd  her  out." 

"  End  that  story,  it  is  long  enough." 

"  Do  you  know  Miss  "Oilman?  ' 

"  I  have  heard  of  her.    Who  has  not?  ' 

"  She  has  Bryce  Denning  on  trial  now. 
If  he  marries  her  I  shall  pity  him." 

"  Pity  him!  Not  I,  indeed!  He  would 
have  his  just  reward.  Like  to  like,  and 
Amen  to  it." 

"  Then  there  was  Claudine  Jeffrys,  look 
ing  quite  ethereal,  but  very  lovely." 

"  I  know.  Her  lover  was  killed  in  Cuba, 
and  she  has  been  the  type  of  faithful  grief 
ever  since.  She  looks  it  and  dresses  it  to 
perfection." 

"  And  feels  it?" 

1  i  Perhaps  she  does.  I  am  not  skilled  in  the 
feelings  of  pensive,  heart-broken  maidens. 
But  her  case  is  a  very  common  one.  Lovers 
are  nowhere  against  husbands,  yet  how  many 
thousands  of  good  women  lose  their  hus 
bands  every  year?  If  they  are  poor,  they 
have  to  hide  their  grief  and  work  for  them- 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  89 

selves  and  their  families;  if  they  are  rich, 
very  few  people  believe  that  they  are  really 
sorry  to  be  widows.  Are  any  poor  creatures 
more  jeered  at  than  widows?  No  man  be 
lieves  they  are  grieving  for  the  loss  of  their 
husbands.  Then  why  should  they  all  sym 
pathize  with  Claudine  about  the  loss  of  a 
lover?  " 

"  Perhaps  lovers  are  nicer  than  hus 
bands." 

"  Pretty  much  all  alike.  I  have  known  a 
few  good  husbands.  Your  grandfather  was 
one,  your  father  another.  But  you  have  said 
nothing  about  Fred.  Did  he  look  handsome? 
Did  he  make  a  sensation?  Was  he  a  cousin 
to  be  proud  of?" 

"  Indeed,  Granny,  Fred  was  the  whole 
party.  He  is  not  naturally  handsome,  but  he 
has  distinction,  and  he  was  well-dressed.  And 
I  never  heard  anyone  talk  as  he  did.  He  told 
the  most  delightful  stories,  he  was  full  of 
mimicry  and  wit,  and  said  things  that  brought 
everyone  into  the  merry  talk;  and  I  am  sure 
he  charmed  and  astonished  the  whole  party. 
Mr.  Denning  asked  me  quietly  afterwards 
'  what  university  he  was  educated  at.' 
think  he  took  it  all  as  education,  and  had 


90  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

some  wild  ideas  of  finishing  Bryce  in  a  simi 
lar  manner." 

Madam  was  radiant.  "  I  told  you  so," 
she  said  proudly.  "  The  Mostyns  have  intel 
lect  as  well  as  land.  There  are  no  stupid 
Mostyns.  I  hope  you  asked  him  to  play.  I 
think  his  way  of  handling  a  piano  would  have 
taught  them  a  few  things  Russians  and  Poles 
know  nothing  about.  Poor  things !  How  can 
they  have  any  feelings  left?  ' 

"  There  was  no  piano  in  the  room,  Granny, 
and  the  company  separated  very  soon  after 
dinner." 

"  Somehow  you  ought  to  have  managed  it, 
Ethel."  Then  with  a  touch  of  anxiety,  "  I 
hope  all  this  cleverness  was  natural — I  mean, 
I  hope  it  wasn't  champagne.  You  know, 
Ethel,  we  think  as  we  drink,  and  Fred  isn't 
used  to  those  frisky  wines.  Mostyn  cellars 
are  full  of  old  sherry  and  claret,  and  Fred's 
father  was  always  against  frothing,  sparkling 


wines. ' ' 

u 


Granny,  it  was  all  Fred.  Wine  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it,  but  -a  certain  woman 
had;  in  fact,  she  was  the  inspirer,  and  Fred 
fell  fifty  fathoms  deep  in  love  with  her  the 
very  moment  she  entered  the  room.  He  heard 
not,  felt  not,  thought  not,  so  struck  with  love 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  91 

was  he.  Ruth  got  him  to  a  window  for  a  few 
moments  and  so  hid  his  emotion  until  he  could 
get^himself  together." 

"  Oh,  what  a  tale!  What  a  cobweb  tale!  I 
don't  believe  a  word  of  it,"  and  she  laughed 
merrily. 

"  Tis  true  as  gospel,  Granny." 

"  Name  her,  then.    Who  was  the  woman?  " 

"Dora." 

"It  is  beyond  belief,  above  belief,  out  of 
all  reason.  It  cannot  be,  and  it  shall  not  be, 
and  if  you  are  making  up  a  story  to  tease 
me,  Ethel  Rawdon— 

"  Grandmother,  let  me  tell  you  just  how  it 
came  about.  We  were  all  in  the  room  wait 
ing  for  Dora,  and  she  suddenly  entered.  She 
was  dressed  in  soft  amber  silk  from  head  to 
feet ;  diamonds  were  in  her  black  hair,  and  on 
the  bands  across  her  shoulders,  on  her  cors 
age,  on  her  belt,  her  hands,  and  even  her 
slippers.  Under  the  electric  lights  she  looked 
as  if  she  was  in  a  golden  aura,  scintillating 
with  stars.  She  took  Fred's  breath  away. 
He  was  talking  to  Ruth,  and  he  could  not 
finish  the  word  he  was  saying.  Ruth  thought 
he  was  going  to  faint ' 

"  Don't  tell  me  such  nonsense." 

"  Well,    grandmother,    this    nonsense    is 


92  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

truth.  As  I  said  before,  Ruth  took  Mm  aside 
until  lie  got  control  of  himself;  then,  as  he 
was  Dora's  escort,  he  had  to  go  to  her.  Ruth 
introduced  them,  and  as  she  raised  her  soft, 
black  eyes  to  his,  and  put  her  hand  on  his 
arm,  something  happened  again,  but  this  time 
it  was  like  possession.  He  was  the  courtier 
in  a  moment,  his  eyes  flashed  back  her  glances, 
he  gave  her  smile  for  smile,  and  then  when 
they  were  seated  side  by  side  he  became  in 
spired  and  talked  as  I  have  told  you.  It  is 
the  truth,  grandmother." 

"  Well,  there  are  many  different  kinds  of 
fools,  but  Fred  Mostyn  is  the  worst  I  ever 
heard  tell  of.  Does  he  not  know  that  the  girl 
is  engaged?  ' 

"  Knows  it  as  well  as  I  do." 

"  None  of  our  family  were  ever  fools  be 
fore,  and  I  hope  Fred  will  come  round  quickly. 
Do  you  think  Dora  noticed  the  impression 
she  made?  ' 

"  Yes,  Aunt  Ruth  noticed  Dora;  and  Ruth 
says  Dora  l  turned  the  arrow  in  the  heart 
wound  '  all  the  evening." 

"  What  rubbish  you  are  talking!     Say  in 
good  English  what  you  mean." 
-    "  She  tried  every  moment  they  were  to- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  93 

gether  to  make  him  more  and  more  in  love 
with  her." 

"  What  is  her  intention?  A  girl  doesn't 
carry  on  that  way  for  nothing." 

"  I  do  not  know.  Dora  has  got  beyond  me 
lately.  And,  grandmother,  I  am  not  troub 
ling  about  the  event  as  it  regards  Dora  or 
Fred  or  Basil  Stanhope,  but  as  it  regards 
Ethel." 

"  What  have  you  to  do  with  it?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  I  want  to  have  clearly 
understood.  Aunt  Ruth  told  me  that  father 
and  you  would  be  disappointed  if  I  did  not 
marry  Fred." 

"  Well?" 

"  I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  you,  but  I  never 
shall  marry  Fred  Mostyn.  Never!  ' 

"  I  rather  think  you  will  have  to  settle  that 
question  with  your  father,  Ethel." 

"  No.  I  have  settled  it  with  myself.  The 
man  has  given  to  Dora  all  the  love  that  he 
has  to  give.  I  will  have  a  man's  whole  heart, 
and  not  fragments  and  finger-ends  of  it." 

"  To  be  sure,  that  is  right.  But  I  can't  say 
much,  Ethel,  when  I  only  know  one  side  of 
the  case,  can  I?  I  must  wait  and  hear  what 
Fred  has  to  say.  But  I  like  your  spirit  and 
your  way  of  bringing  what  is  wrong  straight 


94  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

up  to  question.  You  are  a  bit  Yorkshire  yet, 
whatever  you  think  gets  quick  to  your  tongue, 
and  then  out  it  comes.  Good  girl,  your  heart 
is  on  your  lips." 

They  talked  the  afternoon  away  on  this 
subject,  but  Madam's  last  words  were  not 
only  advisory,  they  were  in  a  great  measure 
sympathetic.  "  Be  straight  with  yourself, 
Ethel,"  she  said,  "  then  Fred  Mostyn  can  do 
as  he  likes;  you  will  be  all  right." 

She  accepted  the  counsel  with  a  kiss,  and 
then  drove  to  the  Holland  House  for  her 
father.  He  was  not  waiting,  as  Ruth  had 
supposed  he  would  be,  but  then  she  was  five 
minutes  too  soon.  She  sent  up  her  card,  and 
then  let  her  eyes  fall  upon  a  wretched  beg 
gar  man  who  was  trying  to  play  a  violin,  but 
was  unable  by  reason  of  hunger  and  cold.  He 
looked  as  if  he  was  dying,  and  she  was  moved 
with  a  great  pity,  and  longed  for  her  father 
to  come  and  give  some  help.  While  she  was 
anxiously  watching,  a  young  man  was  also 
struck  with  the  suffering  on  the  violinist's 
face.  He  spoke  a  few  words  to  him,  and  tak 
ing  the  violin,  drew  from  it  such  strains  of 
melody,  that  in  a  few  moments  a  crowd  had 
gathered  within  the  hotel  and  before  it.  First 
there  was  silence,  then  a  shout  of  delight ;  and 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  95 

when  it  ceased  the  player's  voice  thrilled 
every  heart  to  passionate  patriotism,  as  he 
sang  with  magnificent  power  and  feeling — 

There  is  not  a  spot  on  this  wide-peopled  earth 

So  dear  to  our  heart  as  the  Land  of  our  Birth,  etc. 

A  tumult  of  hearty  applause  followed,  and 
then  he  cried,  "  Gentlemen,  this  old  man 
fought  for  the  land  of  our  birth.  He  is  dying 
of  hunger,"  and  into  the  old  man's  hat  he 
dropped  a  bill  and  then  handed  it  round  to 
millionaire  and  workingman  alike.  Ethel's 
purse  was  in  her  hand.  As  he  passed  along 
the  curb  at  which  her  carriage  stood,  he 
looked  at  her  eager  face,  and  with  a  smile 
held  out  the  battered  hat.  She,  also  smiling, 
dropped  her  purse  into  it.  In  a  few  moments 
the  hat  was  nearly  full;  the  old  man  and  the 
money  were  confided  to  the  care  of  an  hotel 
officer,  the  stream  of  traffic  and  pleasure  went 
on  its  usual  way,  and  the  musician  disap 
peared. 

All  that  evening  the  conversation  turned 
constantly  to  this  event.  Mostyn  was  sure  he 
was  a  member  of  some  operatic  troupe. 
"  Voices  of  such  rare  compass  and  excep 
tional  training  were  not  to  be  found  among 


96  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

non-professional  people,"  lie  said,  and  Judge 
Rawdon  was  of  his  opinion. 

"  His  voice  will  haunt  me  for  many  days," 
he  said.  "  Those  two  lines,  for  instance — 

'Tis  the  home  of  our  childhood,  that  beautiful  spot 
Which  memory  retains  when  all  else  is  forgot. 

The  melody  was  wonderful.  I  wish  we  could 
find  out  where  he  is  singing.  His  voice,  as  I 
said,  haunts  my  ear." 

Ethel  might  have  made  the  same  remark, 
but  she  was  silent.  She  had  noticed  the  mu 
sician  more  closely  than  her  father  or  Fred 
Mostyn,  and  when  Euth  Bayard  asked  her  if 
his  personality  was  interesting,  she  was  able 
to  give  a  very  clear  description  of  the  man. 

"I  do  not  believe  he  is  a  professional 
singer;  he  is  too  young,"  she  answered.  "  I 
should  think  he  was  about  twenty-five  years 
old,  tall,  slender,  and  alert.  He  was  fash 
ionably  dressed,  as  if  he  had  been,  or  was 
going,  to  an  afternoon  reception.  Above  all 
things,  I  should  say  he  was  a  gentleman." 

Oh,  why  are  our  hearts  so  accessible  to  our 
eyes?  Only  a  smiling  glance  had  passed  be 
tween  Ethel  and  the  Unknown,  yet  his  image 
was  prisoned  behind  the  bars  of  her  eyelids. 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  97 

On  this  day  of  days  she  had  met  Love  on  the 
crowded  street,  and  he  had 

"  But  touched  his  lute  wherein  was  audible 
The  certain  secret  thing  he  had  to  tell; 
Only  their  mirrored  eyes  met  silently"; 

and  a  sweet  trouble,  a  restless,  pleasing  curi 
osity,  had  filled  her  consciousness.  Who  was 
he?  Where  had  he  gone  to?  When  should 
they  meet  again?  Ah,  she  understood  now 
how  Emmeline  Labiche  had  felt  constrained 
to  seek  her  lover  from  the  snows  of  Canada 
to  the  moss-veiled  oaks  of  Louisiana. 

But  her  joyous,  hopeful  soul  could  not  think 
of  love  and  disappointment  at  the  same  mo 
ment.  "  I  have  seen  him,  and  I  shall  see  him 
again.  We  met  by  appointment.  Destiny 
introduced  us.  Neither  of  us  will  forget,  and 
somewhere,  some  day,  I  shall  be  waiting,  and 
he  will  come." 

Thus  this  daughter  of  sunshine  and  hope 
answered  herself;  and  why  not?  All  good 
things  come  to  those  who  can  wait  in  sweet 
tranquillity  for  them,  and  seldom  does  For 
tune  fail  to  bring  love  and  heart 's-ease  upon 
the  changeful  stream  of  changeful  days  to 
those  who  trust  her  for  them. 


98  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

On  the  following  morning,  when  the  two 
girls  entered  the  parlor,  they  found  the  Judge 
smoking  there.  He  had  already  breakfasted, 
and  looked  over  the  three  or  four  newspapers 
whose  opinions  he  thought  worthy  of  his  con 
sideration.  They  were  lying  in  a  state  of 
confusion  at  his  side,  and  Ethel  glanced  at 
them  curiously. 

"  Did  any  of  the  papers  speak  of  the  sing 
ing  before  the  Holland  House?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes.  I  think  reporters  must  be  ubiqui 
tous.  All  my  papers  had  some  sort  of  a  notice 
of  the  affair." 

"  What  do  they  say?  " 

"  One  gave  the  bare  circumstances  of  the 
case ;  another  indulged  in  what  was  supposed 
to  be  humorous  description;  a  third  thought 
it  might  have  been  the  result  of  a  bet  or  dare ; 
a  fourth  was  of  the  opinion  that  conspiracy 
between  the  old  beggar  and  the  young  man 
was  not  unlikely,  and  credited  the  exhibition 
as  a  cleverly  original  way  of  obtaining  money. 
But  all  agreed  in  believing  the  singer  to  be  a 
member  of  some  opera  company  now  in  the 
city." 

Ethel  was  indignant.  "  It  was  neither 
1  bet '  nor  l  dare  '  nor  '  conspiracy,'  "  she 
said.  "  I  saw  the  singer  as  he  came  walking 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  99 

rapidly  down  the  avenue,  and  he  looked  as 
happy  and  careless  as  a  boy  whistling  on  a 
country  lane.  When  his  eyes  fell  on  the  old 
man  he  hesitated,  just  a  moment,  and  then 
spoke  to  him.  I  am  sure  they  were  absolute 
strangers  to  each  other." 

"  But  how  can  you  be  sure  of  a  thing  like 
that,  Ethel?  " 

"  I  don't  know  l  how,'  Kuth,  but  all  the 
same,  I  am  sure.  And  as  for  it  being  a  new 
way  of  begging,  that  is  not  correct.  Not  many 
years  ago,  one  of  the  De  Reszke  brothers  led 
a  crippled  soldier  into  a  Paris  cafe,  and  sang 
the  starving  man  into  comfort  in  twenty  min 
utes." 

"  And  the  angelic  Parepa  Rosa  did  as  much 
for  a  Mexican  woman,  whom  she  found  in  the 
depths  of  sorrow  and  poverty — brought  her 
lifelong  comfort  with  a  couple  of  her  songs. 
Is  it  not  likely,  then,  that  the  gallant  knight 
of  the  Holland  House  is  really  a  member  of 
some  opera  company,  that  he  knew  of  these 
examples  and  followed  them?  ' 

"  It  is  not  unlikely,  Ruth,  yet  I  do  not  be 
lieve  that  is  the  explanation." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Judge,  throwing  his 
cigarette  into  the  fire,  "  if  the  singer  had 
never  heard  of  De  Reszke  and  Parepa  Rosa, 


100  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

we  may  suppose  him  a  gentleman  of  such 
culture  as  to  be  familiar  with  the  exquisite 
Greek  legend  of  Phoebus  Apollo — that  story 
would  be  sufficient  to  inspire  any  man  with 
his  voice.  Do  you  know  it  ?  ' 

Both  girls  answered  with  an  enthusiastic 
entreaty  for  its  recital,  and  the  Judge  went 
to  the  library  and  returned  with  a  queer-look 
ing  little  book,  bound  in  marbled  paper. 

"  It  was  my  father's  copy,"  he  said,  "  an 
Oxford  edition."  And  he  turned  the  leaves 
with  loving  carefulness  until  he  came  to  the 
incident.  Then  being  a  fine  reader,  the  words 
fell  from  his  lips  in  a  stately  measure  better 
than  music: 

"  After  Troy  fell  there  came  to  Argos  a 
scarred  soldier  seeking  alms.  Not  deigning 
to  beg,  he  played  upon  a  lyre;  but  the  han 
dling  of  arms  had  robbed  him  of  his  youth 
ful  power,  and  he  stood  by  the  portico  hour 
after  hour,  and  no  one  dropped  him  a  lepton. 
Weary,  hungry  and  thirsty,  he  leaned  in  de 
spair  against  a  pillar.  A  youth  came  to  him 
and  asked,  t  Why  not  play  on,  Akeratos  ?  ' 
And  Akeratos  meekly  answered,  l  I  am  no 
longer  skilled.'  l  Then,'  said  the  stranger, 
*  hire  me  thy  lyre ;  here  is  a  didrachmon.  I 
will  play,  and  thou  shalt  hold  out  thy  cap 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  101 

and  be  dumb.'  So  the  stranger  took  the  lyre 
and  swept  the  strings,  and  men  heard,  as  it 
were,  the  clashing  of  swords.  And  he  sang 
the  fall  of  Troy — how  Hector  perished,  slain 
by  Achilles,  the  rush  of  chariots,  the  ring  of 
hoofs,  the  roar  of  flames — and  as  he  sang  the 
people  stopped  to  listen,  breathless  and  eager, 
with  rapt,  attentive  ear.  And  when  the  singer 
ceased  the  soldier's  cap  was  filled  with  coins, 
and  the  people  begged  for  yet  another  song. 
Then  he  sang  of  Venus,  till  all  men's  hearts 
were  softly  stirred,  and  the  air  was  purple 
and  misty  and  full  of  the  scent  of  roses.  And 
in  their  joy  men  cast  before  Akeratos  not 
coins  only,  but  silver  bracelets  and  rings,  and 
gems  and  ornaments  of  gold,  until  the  heap 
had  to  its  utmost  grown,  making  Akeratos 
rich  in  all  men's  sight.  Then  suddenly  the 
singer  stood  in  a  blaze  of  light,  and  the  men 
of  Argos  saw  their  god  of  song,  Phoebus 
Apollo,  rise  in  glory  to  the  skies." 

The  girls  were  delighted ;  the  Judge  pleased 
both  with  his  own  rendering  of  the  legend 
and  the  manifest  appreciation  with  which 
it  had  been  received.  For  a  moment  or  two 
all  felt  the  exquisite  touch  of  the  antique 
world,  and  Ethel  said,  in  a  tone  of  longing, 


102  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  wish  that  I  had  been  a  Greek  and  lived 
in  Argos." 

"  You  would  not  have  liked  it  as  well  as 
being  an  American  and  living  in  New  York," 
said  her  father. 

"  And  you  would  have  been  a  pagan," 
added  Ruth. 

"  They  were  such  lovely  pagans,  Ruth,  and 
they  dreamed  such  beautiful  dreams  of  life. 
Leave  the  book  with  me,  father;  I  will  take 
good  care  of  it." 

Then  the  Judge  gave  her  the  book,  and  with 
a  sigh  looked  into  the  modern  street.  "  I 
ought  to  be  down  at  Bowling  Green  instead 
of  reading  Greek  stories  to  you  girls,"  he 
said  rather  brusquely.  "  I  have  a  very  im 
portant  railway  case  on  my  mind,  and  Phoebus 
Apollo  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Good  morn 
ing.  And,  Ethel,  do  not  deify  the  singer  on 
the  avenue.  He  will  not  turn  out,  like  the 
singer  by  the  portico,  to  be  a  god ;  be  sure  of 
that." 

The  door  closed  before  she  could  answer, 
and  both  women  remained  silent  a  few  min 
utes.  Then  Ethel  went  to  the  window,  and 
Ruth  asked  if  she  was  going  to  Dora's. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  answer,  but  without  in 
terest. 


He  had  secured  a  table  at  Sherry's :  he  had  ordered  lunch,  and 
all  was  ready."     Page  103. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  103 

"  You  are  tired  with  all  this  shopping  and 
worry?  ' 

"  It  is  not  only  that  I  am  tired,  I  am 
troubled  about  Fred  Mostyn." 

"  Why?" 

"  I  do  not  know  why.  It  is  only  a  vague 
unrest  as  yet.  But  one  thing  I  know,  I  shall 
oppose  anything  like  Fred  making  himself 
intimate  with  Dora." 

"  I  think  you  will  do  wisely  in  that." 

But  in  a  week  Ethel  realized  that  in  op 
posing  a  lover  like  Fred  Mostyn  she  had  a 
task  beyond  her  ability.  Fred  had  nothing 
to  do  as  important  in  his  opinion  as  the  culti 
vation  of  his  friendship  with  Dora  Denning. 
He  called  it  "  friendship,"  but  this  misnomer 
deceived  no  one,  not  even  Dora.  And  when 
Dora  encouraged  his  attentions,  how  was 
Ethel  to  prevent  them  without  some  explana 
tion  which  would  give  a  sort  of  reality  to 
what  was  as  yet  a  nameless  suspicion? 

Yet  every  day  the  familiarity  increased. 
He  seemed  to  divine  their  engagements.  If 
they  went  to  their  jeweler's,  or  to  a  bazaar, 
he  was  sure  to  stroll  in  after  them.  When 
they  came  out  of  the  milliner's  or  modiste's, 
Fred  was  waiting.  "  He  had  secured  a  table 
at  Sherry's;  he  had  ordered  lunch,  and  all 


104  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

was  ready. "  It  was  too  great  an  effort  to  re 
sist  his  entreaty.  Perhaps  no  one  wished  to 
do  so.  The  girls  were  utterly  tired  and 
hungry,  and  the  thought  of  one  of  Fred's 
lunches  was  very  pleasant.  Even  if  Basil 
Stanhope  was  with  them,  it  appeared  to  be 
all  the  better.  Fred  always  included  Dora's 
lover  with  a  charming  courtesy;  and,  indeed, 
at  such  hours,  was  in  his  most  delightful 
mood.  Stanhope  appeared  to  inspire  him. 
His  mentality  when  the  clergyman  was  pres 
ent  took  possession  of  every  incident  that 
came  and  went,  and  clothed  it  in  wit  and 
pleasantry.  Dora's  plighted  lover  honestly 
thought  Dora's  undeclared  lover  the  cleverest 
and  most  delightful  of  men.  And  he  had  no 
opportunity  of  noting,  as  Ethel  did,  the  dif 
ference  in  Fred's  attitude  when  he  was  not 
present.  Then  Mostyn's  merry  mood  became 
sentimental,  and  his  words  were  charged  with 
soft  meanings  and  looks  of  adoration,  and 
every  tone  and  every  movement  made  to  ex 
press  far  more  than  the  tongue  would  have 
dared  to  utter. 

As  this  flirtation  progressed — for  on  Dora's 
part  it  was  only  vanity  and  flirtation — Ethel 
grew  more  and  more  uneasy.  She  almost 
wished  for  some  trifling  overt  act  which 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  105 

would  give  her  an  excuse  for  warning  Dora ; 
and  one  day,  after  three  weeks  of  such 
philandering,  the  opportunity  came. 

"  I  think  you  permit  Fred  Mostyn  to  take 
too  much  liberty  with  you,  Dora,"  she  said  as 
soon  as  they  were  in  Dora's  parlor,  and  as 
she  spoke  she  threw  off  her  coat  in  a  temper 
which  effectively  emphasized  the  words. 

"  I  have  been  expecting  this  ill-nature, 
Ethel.  You  were  cross  all  the  time  we  were 
at  lunch.  You  spoiled  all  our  pleasure. 
Pray,  what  have  I  been  doing  wrong  with 
Fred  Mostyn?  " 

"  It  was  Fred  who  did  wrong.  His  compli 
ments  to  you  were  outrageous.  He  has  no 
right  to  say  such  things,  and  you  have  no 
right  to  listen  to  them." 

"  I  am  not  to  blame  if  he  compliments  me 
instead  of  you.  He  was  simply  polite,  but 
then  it  was  to  the  wrong  person." 

"  Of  course  it  was.  Such  politeness  he  had 
no  right  to  offer  you." 

"  It  would  have  been  quite  proper  if  of 
fered  you,  I  suppose?  r 

"  It  would  not.  It  would  have  been  a  great 
impertinence.  I  have  given  him  neither 
claim  nor  privilege  to  address  me  as  '  My 
lovely  Ethel!  '  He  called  you  many  times 


106  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

'  My  lovely  Dora!  '  You  are  not  his  lovely 
Dora.  When  he  put  on  your  coat,  he  drew 
you  closer  than  was  proper;  and  I  saw  him 
take  your  hand  and  hold  it  in  a  clasp — not 
necessary." 

"  Why  do  you  listen  and  watch?  It  is  vul 
gar.  You  told  me  so  yourself.  And  I  am 
lovely.  Basil  says  that  as  well  as  Fred.  Do 
you  want  a  man  to  lie  and  say  I  am  ugly?  ' 

"  You  are  fencing  the  real  question.  He 
had  no  business  to  use  the  word  '  my.'  You 
are  engaged  to  Basil  Stanhope,  not  to  Fred 
Mostyn." 

"  I  am  Basil's  lovely  fiancee;  I  am  Fred's 
lovely  friend." 

"  Oh!  I  hope  Fred  understands  the  dif 
ference." 

"  Of  course  he  does.  Some  people  are  al 
ways  thinking  evil." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  Mr.  Stanhope's  rights." 

"  Thank  you,  Ethel;  but  I  can  take  care 
of  Mr.  Stanhope's  rights  without  your  assist 
ance.  If  you  had  said  you  were  thinking  of 
Ethel  Rawdon's  rights  you  would  have  been 
nearer  the  truth." 

"  Dora,  I  will  not  listen " 

11  Oh,  you  shall  listen  to  me!  I  know  that 
you  expected  Fred  to  fall  in  love  with  you, 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  107 

but  if  he  did  not  like  to  do  so,  am  I  to  blame  ?  ' 
Ethel  was  resuming  her  coat  at  this  point 
in  the  conversation,  and  Dora  understood  the 
proud  silence  with  which  the  act  was  being 
accomplished.  Then  a  score  of  good  reasons 
for  preventing  such  a  definite  quarrel  flashed 
through  her  selfish  little  mind,  and  she  threw 
her  arms  around  Ethel  and  begged  a  thou 
sand  pardons  for  her  rudeness.  And  Ethel 
had  also  reasons  for  avoiding  dissension  at 
this  time.  A  break  in  their  friendship  now 
would  bring  Dora  forward  to  explain,  and 
Dora  had  a  wonderful  cleverness  in  present 
ing  her  own  side  of  any  question.  Ethel 
shrunk  from  her  innuendoes  concerning  Fred, 
and  she  knew  that  Basil  would  be  made  to  con 
sider  her  a  meddling,  jealous  girl  who  will 
ingly  saw  evil  in  Dora's  guileless  enjoyment 
of  a  clever  man's  company. 

To  be  misunderstood,  to  be  blamed  and 
pitied,  to  be  made  a  pedestal  for  Dora's  su 
periority,  was  a  situation  not  to  be  contem 
plated.  It  was  better  to  look  over  Dora's 
rudeness  in  the  flush  of  Dora's  pretended  sor 
row  for  it.  So  they  forgave  each  other,  or 
said  they  did,  and  then  Dora  explained  her 
self.  She  declared  that  she  had  not  the  least 
intention  of  any  wrong.  "  You  see,  Ethel, 


108  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

what  a  fool  the  man  is  about  me.  Somebody; 
says  we  ought  to  treat  a  fool  according  to  his 
folly.  That  is  all  I  was  doing.  I  am  sure 
Basil  is  so  far  above  Fred  Mostyn  that  I 
could  never  put  them  in  comparison — and 
Basil  knows  it.  He  trusts  me." 

"  Very  well,  Dora.  If  Basil  knows  it,  and 
trusts  you,  I  have  no  more  to  say.  I  am  now 
sorry  I  named  the  subject." 

"  Never  mind,  we  will  forget  that  it  was 
named.  The  fact  is,  Ethel,  I  want  all  the  fun 
I  can  get  now.  When  I  am  Basil's  wife  I 
shall  have  to  be  very  sedate,  and  of  course  not 
even  pretend  to  know  if  any  other  man  ad 
mires  me.  Little  lunches  with  Fred,  theater 
and  opera  parties,  and  even  dances  will  be 
over  for  me.  Oh,  dear,  how  much  I  am  giv 
ing  up  for  Basil !  And  sometimes  I  think  he 
never  realizes  how  dreadful  it  must  be  for 
me." 


.. 


You  will  have  your  lover  all  the  time 
then.  Surely  his  constant  companionship 
will  atone  for  all  you  relinquish." 

"  Take  off  your  coat  and  hat,  Ethel,  and 
sit  down  comfortably.  I  don't  know  about 
Basil's  constant  companionship.  Tete-a-tetes 
are  tiresome  affairs  sometimes." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Ethel,  as  she  half-reluc- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  109 

tantly  removed  her  coat,  "  they  were  a  bore 
undoubtedly  even  in  Paradise.  I  wonder  if 
Eve  was  tired  of  Adam's  conversation,  and 
if  that  made  her  listen  to — the  other  party." 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  mentioned  that  circum 
stance,  Ethel.  I  shall  remember  it.  Some 
day,  no  doubt,  I  shall  have  to  remind  Basil 
of  the  failure  of  Adam  to  satisfy  Eve's  idea 
of  perfect  companionship."  And  Dora  put 
her  pretty,  jeweled  hands  up  to  her  ears  and 
laughed  a  low,  musical  laugh  with  a  childish 
note  of  malice  running  through  it. 

This  pseudo-reconciliation  was  not  con 
ducive  to  pleasant  intercourse.  After  a 
short  delay  Ethel  made  an  excuse  for  an  early 
departure,  and  Dora  accepted  it  without  her 
usual  remonstrance.  The  day  had  been  one 
of  continual  friction,  and  Dora's  irritable 
pettishness  hard  to  bear,  because  it  had  now 
lost  that  childish  unreason  which  had  always 
induced  Ethel's  patience,  for  Dora  had  lately 
put  away  all  her  ignorant  immaturities.  She 
had  become  a  person  of  importance,  and  had 
realized  the  fact.  The  young  ladies  of  St. 
'Jude's  had  made  a  pet  of  their  revered  rec 
tor's  love,  and  the  elder  ladies  had  also  shown 
a  marked  interest  in  her.  The  Dennings'  fine 
house  was  now  talked  about  and  visited.  Men 


110  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

of  high  financial  power  respected  Mr.  Dan 
Denning,  and  advised  the  social  recognition 
of  his  family ;  and  Mrs.  Denning  was  not  now 
found  more  eccentric  than  many  other  of  the 
new  rich,  who  had  been  tolerated  in  the 
ranks  of  the  older  plutocrats.  Even  Bryce 
had  made  the  standing  he  desired.  He  was 
seen  with  the  richest  and  idlest  young  men, 
and  was  invited  to  the  best  houses.  Those 
fashionable  women  who  had  marriageable 
daughters  considered  him  not  ineligible, 
and  men  temporarily  hampered  for  cash 
knew  that  they  could  find  smiling  assistance 
for  a  consideration  at  Bryce 's  little  office  on 
[William  Street. 

These  and  other  points  of  reflection  troubled 
Ethel,  and  she  was  glad  the  long  trial  was 
nearing  its  end,  for  she  knew  quite  well  the 
disagreement  of  that  evening  had  done  no 
good.  Dora  would  certainly  repeat  their 
conversation,  in  her  own  way  of  interpret 
ing  it,  to  both  Basil  Stanhope  and  Fred  Mos- 
tyn.  More  than  likely  both  Bryce  and  Mrs. 
Denning  would  also  hear  how  her  innocent 
kindness  had  been  misconstrued ;  and  in  each 
case  she  could  imagine  the  conversation  that 
took  place,  and  the  subsequent  bestowal  of 
pitying,  scornful  or  angry  feeling  that  would 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  111 

insensibly  find  its  way  to  her  consciousness 
without  any  bird  of  the  air  to  carry  it. 

She  felt,  too,  that  reprisals  of  any  kind 
were  out  of  the  question.  They  were  not  only 
impolitic,  they  were  difficult.  Her  father  had 
an  aversion  to  Dora,  and  was  likely  to  seize 
the  first  opportunity  for  requesting  Ethel  to 
drop  the  girl's  acquaintance.  Ruth  also  had 
urged  her  to  withdraw  from  any  active  part 
in  the  wedding,  strengthening  her  advice 
with  the  assurance  that  when  a  friendship  be 
gan  to  decline  it  ought  to  be  abandoned  at 
once.  There  was  only  her  grandmother  to 
go  to,  and  at  first  she  did  not  find  her  at  all 
interested  in  the  trouble.  She  had  just  had 
a  dispute  with  her  milkman,  was  inclined  to 
give  him  all  her  suspicions  and  all  her  angry 
words — "  an  impertinent,  cheating  creature," 
she  said;  and  then  Ethel  had  to  hear  the  his 
tory  of  the  month's  cream  and  of  the  milk 
man's  extortion,  with  the  old  lady's  charac 
teristic  declaration: 

"  I  told  him  plain  what  I  thought  of  his 
ways,  but  I  paid  him  every  cent  I  owed  him. 
Thank  God,  I  am  not  unreasonable !  ' 

Neither  was  she  unreasonable  when  Ethel 
finally  got  her  to  listen  to  her  own  serious 
grievance  with  Dora. 


112  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

y 

"  If  you  will  have  a  woman  for  a  friend, 
Ethel,  you  must  put  up  with  womanly  ways; 
and  it  is  best  to  keep  your  mouth  shut  con 
cerning  such  ways.  I  hate  to  see  you  whim 
pering  and  whining  about  wrongs  you  have 
been  cordially  inviting  for  weeks  and  months 
and  years." 

"  Grandmother!  ' 

"  Yes,  you  have  been  sowing  thorns  for 
yourself,  and  then  you  go  unshod  over  them. 
I  mean  that  Dora  has  this  fine  clergyman, 
and  Fred  Mostyn,  and  her  brother,  and 
mother,  and  father  all  on  her  side;  all  of 
them  sure  that  Dora  can  do  no  wrong,  all  of 
them  sure  that  Ethel,  poor  girl,  must  be  mis 
taken,  or  prudish,  or  jealous,  or  envious." 

"  Oh,  grandmother,  you  are  too  cruel!  ' 

"  Why  didn't  you  have  a  few  friends  on 
your  own  side?  r 

"  Father  and  Ruth  never  liked  Dora.  And 
Fred — I  told  you  how  Fred  acted  as  soon  as 
he  saw  her! ' 

"  There  was  Royal  Wheelock,  James  Clif 
ton,  or  that  handsome  Dick  Potter.  Why 
didn't  you  ask  them  to  join  you  at  your 
lunches  and  dances?  You  ought  to  have  pil 
lared  your  own  side.  A  girl  without  her  beaux 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  113 

is  always  on  the  wrong  side  if  the  girl  with 
beaux  is  against  her." 

"  It  was  the  great  time  of  Dora's  life.  I 
wished  her  to  have  all  the  glory  of  it." 

"  All  her  own  share — that  was  right.  All 
of  your  share,  also — that  was  as  wrong  as  it 
could  be." 

"  Clifton  is  yachting,  Royal  and  I  had  a 
little  misunderstanding,  and  Dick  Potter  is 
too  effusive." 

"  But  Dick's  effusiveness  would  have  been 
a  good  thing  for  Fred's  effusiveness.  Two 
men  can't  go  on  a  complimentary  ran-tan  at 
the  same  table.  They  freeze  one  another  out. 
That  goes  without  saying.  But  Dora's  in 
discretions  are  none  of  your  business  while 
she  is  under  her  father's  roof;  and  I  don't 
know  if  she  hadn't  a  friend  in  the  world,  if 
they  would  be  your  business.  I  have  always 
been  against  people  trying  to  do  the  work 
of  Them  that  are  above  us.  We  are  told  They 
seek  and  They  save,  and  it's  likely  they  will 
look  after  Dora  in  spite  of  her  being  so  un 
knowing  of  herself  as  to  marry  a  priest  in  a 
surplice,  when  a  fool  in  motley  would  have 
been  more  like  the  thing." 

"  I  don't  want  to  quarrel  with  Dora.    After 


114  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

all,  I  like  her.  We  have  been  friends  a  long 
time." 

"  Well,  then,  don't  make  an  enemy  of  her. 
One  hundred  friends  are  too  few  against  one 
enemy.  One  hundred  friends  will  wish  you 
well,  and  one  enemy  will  do  you  ill.  God  love 
you,  child!  Take  the  world  as  you  find  it. 
Only  God  can  make  it  any  better.  When  is 
this  blessed  wedding  to  come  off?  ' 

"  In  two  weeks.  You  got  cards,  did  you 
not?  " 

"  I  believe  I  did.  They  don't  matter.  Let 
Dora  and  her  flirtations  alone,  unless  you  set 
your  own  against  them.  Like  cures  like.  If 
the  priest  sees  nothing  wrong " 

"  He  thinks  all  she  does  is  perfect." 

"  I  dare  say.  Priests  are  a  soft  lot,  they'll 
believe  anything.  He's  love-blind  at  present. 
Some  day,  like  the  prophet  of  Pethor,*  he  will 
get  his  eyes  opened.  As  for  Fred  Mostyn,  I 
shall  have  a  good  deal  to  say  about  him  by 
and  by,  so  I'll  say  nothing  now." 

"  You  promised,  grandmother,  not  to  talk 
to  me  any  more  about  Fred." 

"•It  was  a  very  inconsiderate  promise,  a 
very  irrational  promise !  I  am  sorry  I  made 
it — and  I  don't  intend  to  keep  it." 

*  One  of  the  Hebrew  prophets. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  115. 

"  IWell,  it  takes  two  to  hold  a  conversation, 
grandmother." 

"  To  be  sure  it  does.  But  if  I  talk  to  you, 
I  hope  to  goodness  you  will  have  the  decency 
to  answer  me.  I  wouldn't  believe  anything 
different."  And  she  looked  into  Ethel's  face 
with  such  a  smiling  confidence  in  her  good 
will  and  obedience,  that  Ethel  could  only 
laugh  and  give  her  twenty  kisses  as  she  stood 
up  to  put  on  her  hat  and  coat. 

"  You  always  get  your  way,  Granny,"  she 
said ;  and  the  old  lady,  as  she  walked  with  her 
to  the  door,  answered,  "  I  have  had  my  way 
for  nearly  eighty  years,  dearie,  and  I've 
found  it  a  very  good  way.  I'm  not  likely 
to  change  it  now." 

"  And  none  of  us  want  you  to  change  it, 
dear.  Granny's  way  is  always  a  wise  way." 
And  she  kissed  her  again  ere  she  ran  down 
the  steps  to  her  carriage.  Yet  as  the  old  lady 
stepped  slowly  back  to  the  parlor,  she  mut 
tered,  "  Fred  Mostyn  is  a  fool!  If  he  had 
any  sense  when  he  left  England,  he  has  lost 
it  since  he  came  here." 

Of  course  nothing  good  came  of  this  irri 
table  interference.  Meddling  with  the  con 
science  of  another  person  is  a  delicate  and 
difficult  affair,  and  Ruth  had  already  warned 


116  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Ethel  of  its  certain  futility.  But  the  days 
were  rapidly  wearing  away  to  the  great  day, 
for  which  so  many  other  days  had  been  wasted 
in  fatiguing  worry,  and  incredible  extrava 
gance  of  health  and  temper  and  money — and 
after  it$  There  would  certainly  be  a  break 
in  associations.  Temptation  would  be  re 
moved,  and  Basil  Stanhope,  relieved  for  a 
time  from  all  the  duties  of  his  office,  would 
have  continual  opportunities  for  making 
eternally  secure  the  affection  of  the  woman 
he  had  chosen. 

It  was  to  be  a  white  wedding,  and  for 
twenty  hours  previous  to  its  celebration  it 
seemed  as  if  all  the  florists  in  New  York  were 
at  work  in  the  Denning  house  and  in  St. 
Jude's  church.  The  sacred  place  was  radiant 
with  white  lilies.  White  lilies  everywhere; 
and  the  perfume  would  have  been  overpower 
ing,  had  not  the  weather  been  so  exquisite 
that  open  windows  were  possible  and  even 
pleasant.  To  the  softest  strains  of  music 
Dora  entered  leaning  on  her  father's  arm, 
and  her  beauty  and  splendor  evoked  from  the 
crowd  present  an  involuntary,  simultaneous 
stir  of  wonder  and  delight.  She  had  hesi 
tated  many  days  between  the  simplicity  of 
white  chiffon  and  lilies  of  the  valley,  and  the 


THB  MAN  BETWEEN  111; 

magnificence  of  brocaded  satin  in  which  a 
glittering  thread  of  silver  was  interwoven. 
The  satin  had  won  the  day,  and  the  sunshine 
fell  upon  its  beauty,  as  she  knelt  at  the  altar, 
like  sunshine  falling  upon  snow.  It  shone 
and  gleamed  and  glistened  as  if  it  were  an 
angel's  robe;  and  this  scintillating  effect  was 
much  increased  by  the  sparkling  of  the  dia 
monds  in  her  hair,  and  at  her  throat  and 
waist  and  hands  and  feet.  Nor  was  her  bril 
liant  youth  affected  by  the  overshadowing 
tulle  usually  so  unbecoming.  It  veiled  her 
from  head  to  feet,  and  was  held  in  place  by 
a  diamond  coronal.  All  her  eight  maids, 
though  lovely  girls,  looked  wan  and  of  the 
earth  beside  her.  For  her  sake  they  had  been 
content  with  the  simplicity  of  chiffon  and 
white  lace  hats,  and  she  stood  among  them 
lustrous  as  some  angelic  being.  Stanhope 
was  entranced  by  her  beauty,  and  no  one 
on  this  day  wondered  at  his  infatuation  or 
thought  remarkable  the  ecstasy  of  reverent 
rapture  with  which  he  received  the  hand  of 
his  bride.  His  sense  of  the  gift  was  ravish 
ing.  She  was  now  his  love,  his  wife  forever, 
and  when  Ethel  slipped  forward  to  part  and 
throw  backward  the  concealing  veil,  he  very 
gently  restrained  her,  and  with  his  own  hands 


118  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

uncovered  the  blushing  beauty,  and  kissed 
her  there  at  the  altar.  Then  amid  a  murmur 
and  stir  of  delighted  sympathy  he  took  his 
wife  upon  his  arm,  and  turned  with  her  to 
the  life  they  were  to  face  together. 

Two  hours  later  all  was  a  past  dream. 
Bride  and  bridegroom  had  slipped  quietly 
away,  and  the  wedding  guests  had  arrived  at 
that  rather  noisy  indifference  which  presages 
the  end  of  an  entertainment.  Then  flushed 
and  tired  with  hurrying  congratulations  and 
good  wishes  that  stumbled  over  each  other, 
carriage  after  carriage  departed;  and  Ethel 
and  her  companions  went  to  Dora's  parlor  to 
rest  awhile  and  discuss  the  event  of  the  day. 
But  Dora's  parlor  was  in  a  state  of  confusion. 
It  had,  too,  an  air  of  loss,  and  felt  like  a  gilded 
cage  from  which  the  bird  had  flown.  They 
looked  dismally  at  its  discomfort  and  went 
downstairs.  Men  were  removing  the  faded 
flowers  or  sitting  at  the  abandoned  table  eat 
ing  and  drinking.  Everywhere  there  was 
disorder  and  waste,  and  from  the  servants' 
quarter  came  a  noisy  sense  of  riotous  feast 
ing. 

"  Where  is  Mrs.  Denning'?  "  Ethel  asked  a 
footman  who  was  gathering  together  the  sil 
ver  with  the  easy  unconcern  of  a  man  whose 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  119 

ideas  were  rosy  with  champagne.  He  looked 
up  with  a  provoking  familiarity  at  the  ques 
tion,  and  sputtered  out,  "  She's  lying  down 
crying  and  making  a  fuss.  Miss  Day  is  with 
her,  soothing  of  her." 

"  Let  us  go  home,"  said  Ethel. 

And  so,  weary  with  pleasure,  and  heart- 
heavy  with  feelings  that  had  no  longer  any 
reason  to  exist,  pale  with  fatigue,  untidy  with 
crush,  their  pretty  white  gowns  sullied  and 
passe,  each  went  her  way;  in  every  heart  a 
wonder  whether  the  few  hilarious  hours  of 
strange  emotions  were  worth  all  they  claimed 
as  their  right  and  due. 

Ruth  had  gone  home  earlier,  and  Ethel 
found  her  resting  in  her  room.  "  I  am  worn 
out,  Ruth,"  was  her  first  remark.  "  I  am 
going  to  bed  for  three  or  four  days.  It  was 
a  dreadful  ordeal." 

"  One  to  which  you  may  have  to  submit." 

"  Certainly  not.  My  marriage  will  be  a 
religious  ceremony,  with  half  a  dozen  of  my 
nearest  relatives  as  witnesses." 

"  I  noticed  Fred  slip  away  before  Dora 
went.  He  looked  ill. ' ' 

"  I  dare  say  he  is  ill — and  no  wonder. 
Good  night,  Ruth.  I  am  going  to  sleep.  Tell 
father  all  about  the  wedding.  I  don't  want 
to  hear  it  named  again — not  as  long  as  I  live." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THREE  days  passed  and  Ethel  had  regained 
her  health  and  spirits,  but  Fred  Mostyn  had 
not  called  since  the  wedding.  Ruth  thought 
some  inquiry  ought  to  be  made,  and  Judge 
Rawdon  called  at  the  Holland  House.  There 
he  was  told  that  Mr.  Mostyn  had  not  been 
well,  and  the  young  man's  countenance  pain 
fully  confessed  the  same  thing. 

"  My  dear  Fred,  why  did  you  not  send  us 
word  you  were  ill?  "  asked  the  Judge. 

"  I  had  fever,  sir,  and  I  feared  it  might  be 
typhoid.  Nothing  of  the  kind,  however.  I 
shall  be  all  right  in  a  day  or  two." 

The  truth  was  far  from  typhoid,  and  Fred 
knew  it.  He  had  left  the  wedding  breakfast 
because  he  had  reached  the  limit  of  his  en 
durance.  Words,  stinging  as  whips,  burned 
like  hot  coals  in  his  mouth,  and  he  felt  that 
he  could  not  restrain  them  much  longer. 
Hastening  to  his  hotel,  he  locked  himself  in 
his  rooms,  and  passed  the  night  in  a  frenzy 
of  passion.  The  very  remembrance  of  the 
bridegroom's  confident  transport  put  mur- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  121 

der  in  his  heart — murder  which  he  could  only; 
practice  by  his  wishes,  impotent  to  compass 
their  desires. 

"  I  wish  the  fellow  shot!  I  wish  him 
hanged!  I  would  kill  him  twenty  times  in 
twenty  different  ways!  And  Dora!  Dora! 
Dora!  What  did  she  see  in  him?  "What 
could  she  see?  Love  her?  He  knows  noth 
ing  of  love — such  love  as  tortures  me." 
Backwards  and  forwards  he  paced  the  floor 
to  such  imprecations  and  ejaculations  as 
welled  up  from  the  whirlpool  of  rage  in  his 
heart,  hour  following  hour,  till  in  the  black 
ness  of  his  misery  he  could  no  longer  speak. 
His  brain  had  become  stupefied  by  the  itera 
tion  of  inevitable  loss,  and  so  refused  any 
longer  to  voice  a  woe  beyond  remedy.  Then 
he  stood  still  and  called  will  and  reason  to 
council  him.  "  This  way  madness  lies,"  he 
thought.  "  I  must  be  quiet — I  must  sleep — 
I  must  forget." 

But  it  was  not  until  the  third  day  that  a 
dismal,  sullen  stillness  succeeded  the  storm 
of  rage  and  grief,  and  he  awoke  from  a  sleep 
of  exhaustion  feeling  as  if  he  were  withered 
at  his  heart.  He  knew  that  life  had  to  be 
taken  up  again,  and  that  in  all  its  farces 
he  must  play  his  part.  At  first  the  thought 


122  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

of  Mostyn  Hall  presented  itself  as  an  asylum. 
It  stood  amid  tMck  woods,  and  there  were 
miles  of  wind-blown  wolds  and  hills  around 
it.  He  was  lord  and  master  there,  no  one 
could  intrude  upon  his  sorrow ;  he  could  nurse 
it  in  those  lonely  rooms  to  his  heart's  content. 
Every  day,  however,  this  gloomy  resolution 
grew  fainter,  and  one  morning  he  awoke  and 
laughed  it  to  scorn. 

"  Frederick's  himself  again,"  he  quoted, 
"  and  he  must  have  been  very  far  off  himself 
when  he  thought  of  giving  up  or  of  running 
away.  No,  Fred  Mostyn,  you  will  stay  here. 
'Tis  a  country  where  the  impossible  does  not 
exist,  and  the  unlikely  is  sure  to  happen — a 
country  where  marriage  is  not  for  life  or 
death,  and  where  the  roads  to  divorce  are 
manifold  and  easy.  There  are  a  score  of 
ways  and  means.  I  will  stay  and  think  them 
over;  'twill  be  odd  if  I  cannot  force  Fate  to 
change  her  mind." 

A  week  after  Dora's  marriage  he  found 
himself  able  to  walk  up  the  avenue  to  the 
Rawdon  house;  but  he  arrived  there  weary 
and  wan  enough  to  instantly  win  the  sym 
pathy  of  Ruth  and  Ethel,  and  he  was  im 
mensely  strengthened  by  the  sense  of  home 
and  kindred,  and  of  genuine  kindness  to 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  123 

which  he  felt  a  sort  of  right.  He  asked  Ruth 
if  he  might  eat  dinner  with  them.  He  said 
he  was  hungry,  and  the  hotel  fare  did  not 
tempt  him.  And  when  Judge  Rawdon  re 
turned  he  welcomed  him  in  the  same  gener 
ous  spirit,  and  the  evening  passed  delightfully; 
away.  At  its  close,  however,  as  Mostyn  stood 
gloved  and  hatted,  and  the  carriage  waited  for 
him,  he  said  a  few  words  to  Judge  Rawdon 
which  changed  the  mental  and  social  atmos 
phere.  "  I  wish  to  have  a  little  talk  with  you, 
sir,  on  a  business  matter  of  some  importance. 
At  what  hour  can  I  see  you  to-morrow?  ' 

"  I  am  engaged  all  day  until  three  in  the 
afternoon,  Fred.  Suppose  I  call  on  you  about 
four  or  half -past  f  ' 

"  .Very  well,  sir." 

But  both  Ethel  and  Ruth  wondered  if  if 
was  "  very  well."  A  shadow,  fleeting  as 
thought,  had  passed  over  Judge  Rawdon 's 
face  when  he  heard  the  request  for  a  business 
interview,  and  after  the  young  man's  de 
parture  he  lost  himself  in  a  reverie  which 
was  evidently  not  a  happy  one.  But  he  said 
nothing  to  the  girls,  and  they  were  not  accus 
tomed  to  question  him. 

The  next  morning,  instead  of  going  direct 
to  his  office,  he  stopped  at  Madam,  his  moth- 


124  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

er's  house  in  Gramercy  Park.  A  visit  at  such 
an  early  hour  was  unusual,  and  the  old  lady 
looked  at  him  in  alarm. 

"  We  are  well,  mother,"  he  said  as  she 
rose.  "  I  called  to  talk  to  you  about  a  little 
business. "  Whereupon  Madam  sat  down, 
and  became  suddenly  about  twenty  years 
younger,  for  "  business  "  was  a  word  like  a 
watch-cry;  she  called  all  her  senses  together 
when  it  was  uttered  in  her  presence. 

"  Business!  '  she  ejaculated  sharply. 
"  Whose  business?  ' 

"  I  think  I  may  say  the  business  of  the 
whole  family." 

"  Nay,  I  am  not  in  it.  My  business  is  just 
as  I  want  it,  and  I  am  not  going  to  talk  about 
it — one  way  or  the  other." 

"  Is  not  Rawdon  Court  of  some  interest  to 
you?  It  has  been  the  home  and  seat  of  the 
family  for  many  centuries.  A  good  many 
Mostyn  women  have  been  its  mistress." 

"  I  never  heard  of  any  Mostyn  woman  who 
would  not  have  been  far  happier  away  from 
Rawdon  Court.  It  was  a  Calvary  to  them  all. 
There  was  little  Nannie  Mostyn,  who  died 
with  her  first  baby  because  Squire  Anthony 
struck  her  in  a  drunken  passion;  and  the 
proud  Alethia  Mostyn,  who  suffered  twenty 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  125 

years'  martyrdom  from  Squire  John;  and 
Sara,  who  took  thirty  thousand  pounds  to 
Squire  Hubert,  to  fling  away  at  the  green 
table;  and  Harriet,  who  was  made  by  her 
husband,  Squire  Humphrey,  to  jump  a  fence 
when  out  hunting  with  him,  and  was  brought 
home  crippled  and  scarred  for  life — a  lovely 
girl  of  twenty  who  went  through  agonies  for 
eleven  years  without  aught  of  love  and  help, 
and  died  alone  while  he  was  following  a  fox; 
and  there  was  pretty  Barbara  Mostyn— 

"  Come,  come,  mother.  I  did  not  call  here 
this  morning  to  hear  the  Rawdons  abused, 
and  you  forget  your  own  marriage.  It  was 
a  happy  one,  I  am  sure.  One  Rawdon,  at 
least,  must  be  excepted ;  and  I  think  I  treated 
my  wife  as  a  good  husband  ought  to  treat  a 
wife." 
1 '  Not  you !  You  treated  Mary  very  badly. ' ' 

"  Mother,  not  even  from  you " 

"I'll  say  it  again.  The  little  girl  was 
dying  for  a  year  or  more,  and  you  were  so 
busy  making  money  you  never  saw  it.  If 
she  said  or  looked  a  little  complaint,  you 
moved  restless-like  and  told  her  *  she  moped 
too  much.7  As  the  end  came  I  spoke  to  you, 
and  you  pooh-poohed  all  I  said.  She  went 
suddenly,  I  know,  to  most  people,  but  she 


126  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

knew  it  was  her  last  day,  and  she  longed  so 
to  see  you,  that  I  sent  a  servant  to  hurry  you 
home,  but  she  died  before  you  could  make  up 
your  mind  to  leave  your  '  cases.'  She  and 
I  were  alone  when  she  whispered  her  last 
message  for  you  —  a  loving  one,  too." 

"  Mother  !    Mother  !    Why  recall  that  bitter 
day?     I  did  not  think  —  I  swear  I  did  not 


"  Never  mind  swearing.  I  was  just  re 
minding  you  that  the  Rawdons  have  not  been 
the  finest  specimens  of  good  husbands.  They 
make  landlords,  and  judges,  and  soldiers,  and 
even  loom-lords  of  a  very  respectable  sort; 
but  husbands!  Lord  help  their  poor  wives! 
So  you  see,  as  a  Mostyn  woman,  I  have  no 
special  interest  in  Rawdon  Court." 

"  You  would  not  like  it  to  go  out  of  the 
family?" 

"  I  should  not  worry  myself  if  it  did." 

"  I  suppose  you  know  Fred  Mostyn  has  a 
mortgage  on  it  that  the  present  Squire  is  un 
able  to  lift." 

"  Aye,  Fred  told  me  he  had  eighty  thou 
sand  pounds  on  the  old  place.  I  told  him  he 
was  a  fool  to  put  his  money  on  it." 

"  One  of  the  finest  manors  and  manor- 
houses  in  England,  mother." 


It 

it 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  127 

"  I  have  seen  it.  I  was  born  and  brought 
up  near  enough  to  it,  I  think." 

"  Eighty  thousand  pounds  is  a  bagatelle 
for  the  place ;  yet  if  Fred  forces  a  sale,  it  may 
go  for  that,  or  even  less.  I  can't  bear  to  think 
of  it." 

Why  not  buy  it  yourself?  " 
I  would  lift  the  mortgage  to-morrow  if  I 
had  the  means.    I  have  not  at  present." 

"  Well,  I  am  in  the  same  box.  You  have 
just  spoken  as  if  the  Mostyns  and  Rawdons 
had  an  equal  interest  in  Rawdon  Court. 
Very  well,  then,  it  cannot  be  far  wrong  for 
Fred  Mostyn  to  have  it.  Many  a  Mostyn  has 
gone  there  as  wife  and  slave.  I  would  dearly 
like  to  see  one  Mostyn  go  as  master." 

"  I  shall  get  no  help  from  you,  then,  I  un 
derstand  that." 

"I'm  Mostyn  by  birth,  I'm  only  Rawdon 
by;  marriage.  The  birth-band  ties  me  fast  to 
my  family." 

"  Good  morning,  mother.  You  have  failed 
me  for  the  first  time  in  your  life." 

"  If  the  money  had  been  for  you,  Edward, 
or  yours " 

"It  is— good-by." 

She  called  him  back  peremptorily,  and  he 
returned  and  stood  at  the  open  door. 


128  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

"  Why  don't  you  ask  Ethel?  " 

"  I  did  not  think  I  had  the  right,  mother. " 

"  More  right  to  ask  her  than  I.  See  what 
she  says.  She's  Rawdon,  every  inch  of  her." 

"  Perhaps  I  may.  Of  course,  I  can  sell  se 
curities,  but  it  would  be  at  a  sacrifice — a  great 
sacrifice  at  present." 

"  Ethel  has  the  cash;  and,  as  I  said,  she  is 
Rawdon — I'm  not." 

"  I  wish  my  father  were  alive." 

"  He  wouldn't  move  me — you  needn't  think 
that.  What  I  have  said  to  you  I  would  have 
said  to  him.  Speak  to  Ethel.  I'll  be  bound 
she'll  listen  if  Rawdon  calls  her." 

"  I  don't  like  to  speak  to  Ethel." 

"  It  isn't  what  you  like  to  do,  it's  what  you 
find  you'll  have  to  do,  that  carries  the  day; 
and  a  good  thing,  too,  considering." 

"  Good  morning,  again.  You  are  not  quite 
yourself,  I  think." 

"  Well,  I  didn't  sleep  last  night,  so  there's 
no  wonder  if  I'm  a  bit  cross  this  morning. 
But  if  I  lose  my  temper,  I  keep  my  under 
standing." 

She  was  really  cross  by  this  time.  Her  son 
had  put  her  in  a  position  she  did  not  like  to 
assume.  No  love  for  Rawdon  Court  was  in 
her  heart.  She  would  rather  have  advanced 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  129 

the  money  to  buy  an  American  estate.  She 
had  been  little  pleased  at  Fred's  mortgage  on 
the  old  place,  but  to  the  American  Rawdons 
she  felt  it  would  prove  a  white  elephant ;  and 
the  appeal  to  Ethel  was  advised  because  she 
thought  it  would  amount  to  nothing.  In  the 
first  place,  the  Judge  had  the  strictest  idea 
of  the  sacredness  of  the  charge  committed 
to  him  as  guardian  of  his  daughter's  for 
tune.  In  the  second,  Ethel  inherited  from 
her  Yorkshire  ancestry  an  intense  sense  of 
the  value  and  obligations  of  money.  She  was 
an  ardent  American,  and  not  likely  to  spend 
it  on  an  old  English  manor;  and,  further 
more,  Madam's  penetration  had  discovered 
a  growing  dislike  in  her  granddaughter  for 
Fred  Mostyn. 

"  She'd  never  abide  him  for  a  lifelong 
neighbor,"  the  old  lady  decided.  "It  is  the 
Rawdon  pride  in  her.  The  Rawdon  men  have 
condescended  to  go  to  Mostyn  for  wives  many 
and  many  a  time,  but  never  once  have  the 
Mostyn  men  married  a  Rawdon  girl — proud, 
set-up  women,  as  far  as  I  remember;  and 
Ethel  has  a  way  with  her  just  like  them.  Fred 
is  good  enough  and  nice  enough  for  any  girl, 
and  I  wonder  what  is  the  matter  with  him! 


130  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

It  is  a  week  and  more  since  lie  was  here,  and 
then  he  wasn't  a  bit  like  himself/' 

At  this  moment  the  bell  rang  and  she  heard 
Fred's  voice  inquiring  "  if  Madam  was  at 
home."  Instantly  she  divined  the  motive  of 
his  call.  The  young  man  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  the  Judge  would  try  to  influence 
his  mother,  and  before  meeting  hi™  in  the 
afternoon  he  wished  to  have  some  idea  of  the 
trend  matters  were  likely  to  take.  His  policy 
— cunning,  Madam  called  it — did  not  please 
her.  She  immediately  assured  herself  that 
"  she  wouldn't  go  against  her  own  flesh  and 
blood  for  anyone,"  and  his  wan  face  and  gen 
eral  air  of  wretchedness  further  antagonized 
her.  She  asked  him  fretfully  "  what  he  had 
been  doing  to  himself,  for,"  she  added,  "  it's 
mainly  what  we  do  to  ourselves  that  makes 
us  sick.  "Was  it  that  everlasting  wedding  of 
the  Denning  girl?  " 

He  flushed  angrily,  but  answered  with  much 
of  the  same  desire  to  annoy,  "  I  suppose  it 
was.  I  felt  it  very  much.  Dora  was  the  love 
liest  girl  in  the  city.  There  are  none  left  like 
her." 

"  It  will  be  a  good  thing  for  New  York  if 
ftiat  is  the  case.  I'm  not  one  that  wants  the 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  131 

city  to  myself,  but  I  can  spare  Dora  Stan 
hope,  and  feel  the  better  for  it." 

"  The  most  beautiful  of  God's  creatures!  " 

"  jYouVe  surely  lost  your  sight  or  your 
judgment,  Fred.  She  is  just  a  dusky-skinned 
girl,  with  big,  brown  eyes.  You  can  pick  her 
sort  up  by  the  thousand  in  any  large  city. 
And  a  wandering-hearted,  giddy  creature,  too, 
that  will  spread  as  she  goes,  no  doubt.  I'm 
sorry  for  Basil  Stanhope,  he  didn't  deserve 
such  a  fate." 

"  Indeed,  he  did  not!  It  is  beyond  meas 
ure  too  good  for  him." 

"I've  always  heard  that  affliction  is  the 
surest  way  to  heaven.  Dora  will  lead  him 
that  road,  and  it  will  be  more  sure  than  pleas 
ant.  Poor  fellow!  He'll  soon  be  as  ready  to 
curse  his  wedding-day  as  Job  was  to  curse  his 
birthday.  A  costly  wife  she  will  be  to  keep, 
and  misery  in  the  keeping  of  her.  But  if  you 
came  to  talk  to  me  about  Dora  Stanhope,  I'll 
cease  talking,  for  I  don't  find  it  any  great 
entertainment. ' ' 

"  I  came  to  talk  to  you  about  Squire  Raw- 
don." 

"  What  about  the  Squire  ?  Keep  it  in  your 
mind  that  he  and  I  were  sweethearts  when  we 
were  children.  I  haven 't  forgotten  that  fact. ' ' 


132  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

"  You  know  Rawdon  Court  is  mortgaged 
to  me?  " 

"  I've  heard  you  say  so — more  than  once." 

"  I  intend  to  foreclose  the  mortgage  in 
September.  I  find  that  I  can  get  twice — yes, 
three  times — the  interest  for  my  money  in 
American  securities." 

"  How  do  you  know  they  are  securities?  ' 

"  Bryce  Denning  has  put  me  up  to  several 
good  things." 

"  Well,  if  you  think  good  things  can  come 
that  road,  you  are  a  bigger  fool  than  I  ever 
thought  you." 

"  Fool!  Madam,  I  allow  no  one  to  call  me 
a  fool,  especially  without  reason." 

"  Reason,  indeed!  What  reason  was  there 
in  your  dillydallying  after  Dora  Denning 
when  she  was  engaged,  and  then  making  your 
self  like  a  ghost  for  her  after  she  is  married  ? 
As  for  the  good  things  Bryce  Denning  offers 
you  in  exchange  for  a  grand  English  manor, 
take  them,  and  then  if  I  called  you  not  fool 
before,  I  will  call  you  fool  in  your  teeth  twice 
over,  and  much  too  good  for  you!  Aye,  I 
could  call  you  a  worse  name  when  I  think  of 
the  old  Squire — he's  two  years  older  than  I 
am — being  turned  out  of  his  lifelong  home. 
Where  is  he  to  go  to?  " 


*     THE   MAN  BETWEEN  133 

"  If  I  buy  the  place,  for  of  course  it  will 
have  to  be  sold,  he  is  welcome  to  remain  at 
Rawdon  Court." 

"And  he  would  deserve  to  do  it  if  he  were 
that  low-minded;  but  if  I  know  Squire  Per- 
cival,  he  will  go  to  the  poor-house  first.  Fred, 
you  would  surely  scorn  such  a  dirty  thing  as 
selling  the  old  man  out  of  house  and  home?  r 

"  I  want  my  money,  or  else  I  want  Rawdon 
Manor." 

"  And  I  have  no  objections  either  to  your 
wanting  it  or  having  it,  but,  for  goodness' 
sake,  wait  until  death  gives  you  a  decent  war 
rant  for  buying  it." 

"  I  am  afraid  to  delay.  The  Squire  has 
been  very  cool  with  me  lately,  and  my  agent 
tells  me  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons  have  been  visit 
ing  him,  also  that  he  has  asked  a  great  many 
questions  about  the  Judge  and  Ethel.  He 
is  evidently  trying  to  prevent  me  getting 
possession,  and  I  know  that  old  Nicholas 
Rawdon  would  give  his  eyelids  to  own  Raw 
don  Court.  As  to  the  Judge 

"  My  son  wants  none  of  it.  You  can  make 
your  mind  easy  on  that  score." 

"  I  think  I  behaved  very  decently,  though, 
of  course,  no  one  gives  me  credit  for  it;  for 
as  soon  as  I  saw  I  must  foreclose  in  order  to 


134  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

get  my  own  I  thought  at  once  of  EtheL  It 
seemed  to  me  that  if  we  could  love  each  other 
the  money  claims  of  Mostyn  and  the  inherited 
claims  of  Rawdon  would  both  be  satisfied. 
Unfortunately,  I  found  that  I  could  not  love 
Ethel  as  a  wife  should  be  loved." 

"  And  I  can  tell  you,  Fred,  that  Ethel 
never  could  have  loved  you  as  a  husband 
should  be  loved.  She  was  a  good  deal  disap 
pointed  in  you  from  the  very  first." 

"  I  thought  I  made  a  favorable  impression 
on  her. ' ' 

"  In  a  way.  She  said  you  played  the  piano 
nicely;  but  Ethel  is  all  for  handsome  men, 
tall,  erect  six-footers,  with  a  little  swing  and 
swagger  to  them.  She  thought  you  small 
and  finicky.  But  Ethel's  rich  enough  to  have 
her  fancy,  I  hope.77 

"  It  is  little  matter  now  what  she  thought. 
I  can7t  please  every  one.7' 

"  No,  it7s  rather  harder  to  do  that  than 
most  people  think  it  is.  I  would  please  my 
conscience  first  of  all,  Fred.  That's  the  point 
worth  mentioning.  And  I  shall  just  remind 
you  of  one  thing  more:  your  money  all  in  a 
lump  on  Rawdon  Manor  is  safe.  It  is  in  one 
place,  and  in  such  shape  as  it  can7t  run  away 
nor  be  smuggled  away  by  any  man7s  trickery. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN"  135 

Now,  then,  turn  your  eighty  thousand  pounds 
into  dollars,  and  divide  them  among  a  score1 
of  securities,  and  you'll  soon  find  out  that  a 
fortune  may  be  easily  squandered  when  it  is 
in  a  great  many  hands,  and  that  what  looks 
satisfactory  enough  when  reckoned  up  on 
paper  doesn't  often  realize  in  hard  money  to 
the  same  tune.  I've  said  all  now  I  am  going 
to  say." 

"  Thank  you  for  the  advice  given  me.  I 
will  take  it  as  far  as  I  can.  This  afternoon 
the  Judge  has  promised  to  talk  over  the  busi 
ness  with  me." 

"  The  Judge  never  saw  Rawdon  Court,  and 
he  cares  nothing  about  it,  but  he  can  give  you 
counsel  about  the  l  good  things  '  Bryce  Den 
ning  offers  you.  And  you  may  safely  listen 
to  it,  for,  right  or  wrong,  I  see  plainly  it  is 
your  own  advice  you  will  take  in  the  long 


run.' 


Mostyn  laughed  pleasantly  and  went  back 
to  his  hotel  to  think  over  the  facts  gleaned 
from  his  conversation  with  Madam.  In  the 
first  place,  he  understood  that  any  overt  act 
against  Squire  Rawdon  would  be  deeply  re 
sented  by  his  American  relatives.  But  then 
he  reminded  himself  that  his  own  relation 
ship  with  them  was  merely  sentiment.  He 


136  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

had  now  nothing  to  hope  for  in  the  way  of 
money.  Madam's  apparently  spontaneous 
and  truthful  assertion,  that  the  Judge  cared 
nothing  for  Rawdon  Court,  was,  however, 
very  satisfactory  to  him.  He  had  been  fool 
ish  enough  to  think  that  the  thing  he  desired 
so  passionately  was  of  equal  value  in  the  esti 
mation  of  others.  He  saw  now  that  he  was 
wrong,  and  he  then  remembered  that  he  had 
never  found  Judge  Rawdon  to  evince  either 
interest  or  curiosity  about  the  family  home. 

If  he  had  been  a  keen  observer,  the  Judge 's 
face  when  he  called  might  have  given  his 
comfortable  feelings  some  pause.  It  was  con 
tracted,  subtle,  intricate,  but  he  came  forward 
with  a  congratulation  on  Mostyn 's  improved 
appearance.  "  A  few  weeks  at  the  seaside 
would  do  you  good,"  he  added,  and  Mostyn 
answered,  "  I  think  of  going  to  Newport  for 
a  month." 

"  And  then?" 

"  I  want  your  opinion  about  that.  McLean 
advises  me  to  see  the  country — to  go  to  Chi 
cago,  St.  Louis,  Denver,  cross  the  Eockies, 
and  on  to  California.  It  seems  as  if  that 
would  be  a  grand  summer  programme.  But 
my  lawyer  writes  me  that  the  man  in  charge 
at  Mostyn  is  cutting  too  much  timber  and  is 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  137 

generally  too  extravagant.  Then  there  is  the 
question  of  Kawdon  Court.  My  finances  will 
not  let  me  carry  the  mortgage  on  it  longer, 
unless  I  buy  the  place. " 

"  Are  you  thinking  of  that  as  probable?  r 

11  Yes.  It  will  have  to  be  sold.  And  Mos- 
tyn  seems  to  be  the  natural  owner  after  Raw- 
don.  The  Mostyns  have  married  Rawdons 
so  frequently  that  we  are  almost  like  one 
family,  and  Rawdon  Court  lies,  as  it  were, 
at  Mostyn's  gate.  The  Squire  is  now  old, 
and  too  easily  persuaded  for  his  own  welfare, 
and  I  hear  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons  have  been 
visiting  him.  Such  a  thing  would  have  been 
incredible  a  few  years  ago." 

"  Who  are  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons?  I  have 
no  acquaintance  with  them." 

"  They  are  the  descendants  of  that  Tyrrel- 
Rawdon  who  a  century  ago  married  a  hand 
some  girl  who  was  only  an  innkeeper's 
daughter.  He  was  of  course  disowned  and 
disinherited,  and  his  children  sank  to  the 
lowest  social  grade.  Then  when  power-loom 
weaving  was  introduced  they  went  to  the 
mills,  and  one  of  them  was  clever  and  saved 
money  and  built  a  little  mill  of  his  own,  and 
his  son  built  a  much  larger  one,  and  made  a 
great  deal  of  money,  and  became  Mayor  of 


138  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

Leeds.  The  next  generation  saw  the  Tyrrel- 
Rawdons  the  largest  loom-lords  in  Yorkshire. 
One  of  the  youngest  generation  was  my  op 
ponent  in  the  last  election  and  beat  me — a 
Radical  fellow  beats  the  Conservative  candi 
date  always  where  weavers  and  spinners  hold 
the  vote — but  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  uphold 
the  Mostyn  banner.  You  know  the  Mostyns 
have  always  been  Tories  and  Conservatives." 

"  Excuse  me,  but  I  am  afraid  I  am  ignorant 
concerning  Mostyn  politics.  I  take  little  in 
terest  in  the  English  parties. " 

"  Naturally.  Well,  I  hope  you  will  take  an 
interest  in  my  affairs  and  give  me  your  ad 
vice  about  the  sale  of  Rawdon  Court." 

"  I  think  my  advice  would  be  useless.  In 
the  first  place,  I  never  saw  the  Court.  My 
father  had  an  old  picture  of  it,  which  has 
somehow  disappeared  since  his  death,  but  I 
cannot  say  that  even  this  picture  interested 
me  at  all.  You  know  I  am  an  American,  born 
on  the  soil,  and  very  proud  of  it.  Then,  as 
you  are  acquainted  with  all  the  ins  and  outs 
of  the  difficulties  and  embarrassments,  and  I 
know  nothing  at  all  about  them,  you  would 
hardly  be  foolish  enough  to  take  my  opinion 
against  your  own.  I  suppose  the  Squire  is 
in  favor  of  your  buying  the  Court?  " 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  139 

"  I  never  named  the  subject  to  him.  I 
thought  perhaps  he  might  have  written  to 
you  on  the  matter.  You  are  the  last  male  of 
the  house  in  that  line." 

"  He  has  never  written  to  me  about  the 
Court.  Then,  I  am  not  the  last  male.  From 
what  you  say,  I  think  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons 
could  easily  supply  an  heir  to  Rawdon." 

"  That  is  the  thing  to  be  avoided.  It  would 
be  a  great  offense  to  the  county  families." 

"  Why  should  they  be  considered?  A 
Rawdon  is  always  a  Rawdon." 

"  But  a  cotton  spinner,  sir!  A  mere  mill- 
owner!  ' 

"  Well,  I  do  not  feel  with  you  and  the 
other  county  people  in  that  respect.  I  think 
a  cotton  spinner,  giving  bread  to  a  thousand 
families,  is  a  vastly  more  respectable  and  im 
portant  man  than  a  fox-hunting,  idle  landlord. 
A  mill-owning  Rawdon  might  do  a  deal  of 
good  in  the  sleepy  old  village  of  Monk-Raw- 
don." 

"  Your  sentiments  are  American,  not  Eng 
lish,  sir." 

"  As  I  told  you,  we  look  at  things  from 
very  different  standpoints." 

"  Do  you  feel  inclined  to  lift  the  mortgage 
yourself,  Judge?  " 


140  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  have  not  the  power,  even  if  I  had  the  in 
clination  to  do  so.  My  money  is  well  invested, 
and  I  could  not,  at  this  time,  turn  bonds  and 
securities  into  cash  without  making  a  sacri 
fice  not  to  be  contemplated.  I  confess,  how 
ever,  that  if  the  Court  has  to  be  sold,  I  should 
like  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons  to  buy  it.  I  dare 
say  the  picture  of  the  offending  youth  is  still 
in  the  gallery,  and  I  have  heard  my  mother 
say  that  what  is  another's  always  yearns  for 
its  lord.  Driven  from  his  heritage  for  Love's 
sake,  it  would  be  at  least  interesting  if  Gold 
gave  back  to  his  children  what  Love  lost 
them." 

"  That  is  pure  sentiment.  Surely  it  would 
be  more  natural  that  the  Mostyns  should  suc 
ceed  the  Rawdons.  We  have,  as  it  were, 
bought  the  right  with  at  least  a  dozen  inter 
marriages." 

"  That  also  is  pure  sentiment.  Gold  at 
last  will  carry  the  succession." 

"  But  not  your  gold,  I  infer?  " 

"  Not  my  gold;  certainly  not." 

"  Thank  you  for  your  decisive  words. 
They  make  my  course  clear." 

"  That  is  well.  As  to  your  summer  move 
ments,  I  am  equally  unable  to  give  you  ad 
vice.  I  think  you  need  the  sea  for  a  month, 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  141 

and  after  that  McLean's  scheme  is  good. 
And  a  return  to  Mostyn  to  look  after  your 
affairs  is  equally  good.  If  I  were  you,  I 
should  follow  my  inclinations.  If  you  put 
your  heart  into  anything,  it  is  well  done  and 
enjoyed ;  if  you  do  a  thing  because  you  think 
you  ought  to  do  it,  failure  and  disappoint 
ment  are  often  the  results.  So  do  as  you  want 
to  do ;  it  is  the  only  advice  I  can  offer  you." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  It  is  very  acceptable.  I 
may  leave  for  Newport  to-morrow.  I  shall 
call  on  the  ladies  in  the  morning." 

"  I  will  tell  them,  but  it  is  just  possible 
that  they,  too,  go  to  the  country  to-morrow, 
to  look  after  a  little  cottage  on  the  Hud 
son  we  occupy  in  the  summer.  Good-by,  and 
I  hope  you  will  soon  recover  your  usual 
health." 

Then  the  Judge  lifted  his  hat,  and  with  a 
courteous  movement  left  the  room.  His  face 
had  the  same  suave  urbanity  of  expression, 
but  he  could  hardly  restrain  the  passion  in 
his  heart.  Placid  as  he  looked  when  he  en 
tered  his  house,  he  threw  off  all  pretenses  as 
soon  as  he  reached  his  room.  The  Yorkshire 
spirit  which  Ethel  had  declared  found  him  out 
once  in  three  hundred  and  sixty-four  days 
and  twenty-three  hours  was  then  in  full  pos- 


142  THE   MAN"  BETWEEN" 

session.  The  American  Judge  had  disap 
peared.  He  looked  as  like  his  ancestors  as 
anything  outside  of  a  painted  picture  could 
do.  His  flushed  face,  his  flashing  eyes,  his 
passionate  exclamations,  the  stamp  of  his 
foot,  the  blow  of  his  hand,  the  threatening 
attitude  of  his  whole  figure  was  but  a  replica 
of  his  great-grandfather,  Anthony  Rawdon, 
giving  Radicals  at  the  hustings  or  careless 
keepers  at  the  kennels  "  a  bit  of  his  mind." 

"  '  Mostyn  seems  to  be  the  natural  owner 
of  Eawdon!  Rawdon  Court  lies  at  Hostyn's 
gate!  Natural  that  the  Mostyns  should  suc 
ceed  the  Bawdons!  lBought  the  right  ~by  a 
'dozen  intermarriages! '  Confound  the  im 
pudent  rascal!  Does  he  think  I  will  see 
Squire  Kawdon  rogued  out  of  his  home  ?  Not 
if  I  can  help  it!  Not  if  Ethel  can  help  it! 
Not  if  heaven  and  earth  can  help  it!  He's 
a  downright  rascal!  A  cool,  unruffled,  impu 
dent  rascal!  '  And  these  ejaculations  were 
followed  by  a  bitter,  biting,  blasting  hail 
storm  of  such  epithets  as  could  only  be  writ 
ten  with  one  letter  and  a  dash. 

But  the  passion  of  imprecation  cooled  and 
satisfied  his  anger  in  this  its  first  impetuous 
outbreak,  and  he  sat  down,  clasped  the  arms 
of  his  chair,  and  gave  himself  a  peremptory 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  143 

order  of  control.  In  a  short  time  lie  rose, 
bathed  his  head  and  face  in  cold  water,  and 
began  to  dress  for  dinner.  And  as  he  stood 
before  the  glass  he  smiled  at  the  restored 
color  and  calm  of  his  countenance. 

"  You  are  a  prudent  lawyer,"  he  said  sar 
castically.  "  How  many  actionable  words 
have  you  just  uttered  ?  If  the  devil  and  Fred 
Mostyn  have  been  listening,  they  can,  as 
mother  says,  '  get  the  law  on  you  ';  but  I 
think  Ethel  and  I  and  the  law  will  be  a  match 
even  for  the  devil  and  Fred  Mostyn."  Then, 
as  he  slowly  went  downstairs,  he  repeated  to 
himself,  "  Mostyn  seems  to  ~be  the  natural 
owner  of  Rawdon.  No,  sir,  neither  natural 
nor  legal  owner.  Rawdon  Court  lies  at  Mos 
tyn  gate.  Not  yet.  Mostyn  lies  at  Rawdon 
gate.  Natural  that  the  Mostyns  should  suc 
ceed  the  Rawdons.  Power  of  God!  Neither 
in  this  generation  nor  the  next." 

And  at  the  same  moment  Mostyn,  having 
thought  over  his  interview  with  Judge  Raw 
don,  walked  thoughtfully  to  a  window  and 
muttered  to  himself:  "Whatever  was  the 
matter  with  the  old  man?  Polite  as  a  cour 
tier,  but  something  was  wrong.  The  room 
felt  as  if  there  was  an  iceberg  in  it,  and 
he  kept  his  right  hand  in  his  pocket.  I  be- 


144  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

lieve  lie  was  afraid  I  would  shake  hands  with 
him — it  is  Ethel,  I  suppose.  Naturally  he  is 
disappointed.  Wanted  her  at  Eawdon.  Well, 
it  is  a  pity,  but  I  really  cannot!  Oh,  Dora! 
Dora!  My  heart,  my  hungry  and  thirsty 
heart  calls  you!  Burning  with  love,  dying 
with  longing,  I  am  waiting  for  you !  ' 

The  dinner  passed  pleasantly  enough,  but 
both  Ethel  and  Euth  noticed  the  Judge  was 
under  strong  but  well-controlled  feeling. 
While  servants  were  present  it  passed  for 
high  spirits,  but  as  soon  as  the  three  were 
alone  in  the  library,  the  excitement  took  at 
once  a  serious  aspect. 

"  My  dears, "  he  said,  standing  up  and 
facing  them,  "  I  have  had  a  very  painful  in 
terview  with  Fred  Mostyn.  He  holds  a  mort 
gage  over  Eawdon  Court,  and  is  going  to 
press  it  in  September — that  is,  he  proposes 
to  sell  the  place  in  order  to  obtain  his  money 
— and  the  poor  Squire!  r  He  ceased  speak 
ing,  walked  across  the  room  and  back  again, 
and  appeared  greatly  disturbed. 

"  What  of  the  Squire?  "  asked  Euth. 

"  God  knows,  Euth.  He  has  no  other 
home." 

"  Why  is  this  thing  to  be  done?  Is  there 
no  way  to  prevent  it?  " 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  145. 

"  Mostyn  wants  the  money,  he  says,  to  in 
vest  in  American  securities.  He  does  not. 
He  wants  to  force  a  sale,  so  that  he  may  buy 
the  place  for  the  mortgage,  and  then  either 
keep  it  for  his  pride,  or  more  likely  resell  it 
to  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons  for  double  the  money." 
Then  with  gradually  increasing  passion  he 
repeated  in  a  low,  intense  voice  the  remarks 
which  Mostyn  had  made,  and  which  had  so 
infuriated  the  Judge.  Before  he  had  finished 
speaking  the  two  women  had  caught  his  tem 
per  and  spirit.  Ethel's  face  was  white  with 
anger,  her  eyes  flashing,  her  whole  attitude 
full  of  fight.  Ruth  was  troubled  and  sorrow 
ful,  and  she  looked  anxiously  at  the  Judge 
for  some  solution  of  the  condition.  It  was 
Ethel  who  voiced  the  anxiety.  "  Father," 
she  asked,  "  what  is  to  be  done?  What  can 
you  do?  " 

"  Nothing,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  Ethel.  My 
money  is  absolutely  tied  up — for  this  year, 
at  any  rate.  I  cannot  touch  it  without  wrong 
ing  others  as  well  as  myself,  nor  yet  without 
the  most  ruinous  sacrifice." 

"  If  I  could  do  anything,  I  would  not  care 
at  what  sacrifice." 

"  You  can  do  all  that  is  necessary,  Ethel, 
and  you  are  the  only  person  who  can.  You 


146  THE   MAN"  BETWEEN" 

have  at  least  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars 
in  cash  and  negotiable  securities.  Your 
mother's  fortune  is  all  yours,  with  its  legiti 
mate  accruements,  and  it  was  left  at  your 
own  disposal  after  your  twenty-first  birth 
day.  It  has  been  at  your  own  disposal  with 
my  consent  since  your  nineteenth  birthday." 

"  Then,  father,  we  need  not  trouble  about 
the  Squire.  I  wish  with  all  my  heart  to  make 
his  home  sure  to  him  as  long  as  he  lives.  You 
are  a  lawyer,  you  know  what  ought  to  be 
done." 

"  Good  girl!  I  knew  what  you  would  say 
and  do,  or  I  should  not  have  told  you  the 
trouble  there  was  at  Rawdon.  Now,  I  pro 
pose  we  all  make  a  visit  to  Eawdon  Court,  see 
the  Squire  and  the  property,  and  while  there 
perfect  such  arrangements  as  seem  kindest 
and  wisest.  Ruth,  how  soon  can  we  be  ready 
to  sail?  " 

"  Father,  do  you  really  mean  that  we  are 
to  go  to  England?  " 

"  It  is  the  only  thing  to  do.  I  must  see  that 
all  is  as  Mostyn  says.  I  must  not  let  you 
throw  your  money  away." 

"  That  is  only  prudent,"  said  Ruth,  "  and 
we  can  be  ready  for  the  first  steamer  if  you 
wish  it." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  147 

"  I  am  delighted,  father.  I  long  to  see 
England;  more  than  all,  I  long  to  see  Raw- 
don.  I  did  not  know  until  this  moment  how 
much  I  loved  it." 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  have  all  ready  for  us 
to  sail  next  Saturday.  Say  nothing  about  it 
to  Mostyn.  He  will  call  to-morrow  morning 
to  bid  you  good-by  before  leaving  for  New 
port  with  McLean.  Try  and  be  out." 

"  I  shall  certainly  be  out,"  said  Ethel. 
"  I  do  not  wish  ever  to  see  his  face  again,  and 
I  must  see  grandmother  and  tell  her  what  we 
are  going  to  do." 

11 1  dare  say  she  guesses  already.  She  ad 
vised  me  to  ask  you  about  the  mortgage.  She 
knew  what  you  would  say." 

"  Father,  who  are  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons?  ' 

Then  the  Judge  told  the  story  of  the  young 
Tyrrel-Rawdon,  who  a  century  ago  had  lost 
his  world  for  Love,  and  Ethel  said  "  she 
liked  him  better  than  any  Rawdon  she  had 
ever  heard  of." 

"  Except  your  father,  Ethel." 

"  Except  my  father;  my  dear,  good  father. 
And  I  am  glad  that  Love  did  not  always  make 
them  poor.  They  must  now  be  rich,  if  they 
want  to  buy  the  Court." 

They  are  rich  manufacturers.     Mostyn 


u 


148  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

is  much  annoyed  that  the  Squire  has  begun 
to  notice  them.  He  says  one  of  the  grand 
sons  of  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons,  disinherited  for 
love's  sake,  came  to  America  some  time  in 
the  forties.  I  asked  your  grandmother  if 
this  story  was  true.  She  said  it  is  quite  true ; 
that  my  father  was  his  friend  in  the  matter, 
and  that  it  was  his  reports  about  America 
which  made  them  decide  to  try  their  fortune 
in  New  York." 

"  Does  she  know  what  became  of  him?  ' 

"  No.  In  his  last  letter  to  them  he  said  he 
had  just  joined  a  party  going  to  the  gold 
fields  of  California.  That  was  in  1850.  He 
never  wrote  again.  It  is  likely  he  perished 
on  the  terrible  journey  across  the  plains. 
Many  thousands  did." 

"  When  I  am  in  England  I  intend  to  call 
upon  these  Tyrrel-Rawdons.  I  think  I  shall 
like  them.  My  heart  goes  out  to  them.  I  am 
proud  of  this  bit  of  romance  in  the  family." 

"  Oh,  there  is  plenty  of  romance  behind 
you,  Ethel.  When  you  see  the  old  Squire 
standing  at  the  entrance  to  the  Manor  House, 
you  may  see  the  flags  of  Cressy  and  Agin- 
court,  of  Marston  and  Worcester  behind  him. 
And  the  Rawdon  women  have  frequently  been 
daughters  of  Destiny.  Many  of  them  have 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN'  149 

lived  romances  that  would  be  incredible  if 
written  down.  Oh,  Ethel,  dear,  we  cannot, 
we  cannot  for  our  lives,  let  the  old  home  fall 
into  the  hands  of  strangers.  At  any  rate,  if 
on  inspection  we  think  it  wrong  to  interfere, 
I  can  at  least  try  and  get  the  children  of  the 
disinherited  Tyrrel  back  to  their  home.  Shall 
we  leave  it  at  this  point  for  the  present?  r 

This  decision  was  agreeable  to  all,  and 
then  the  few  preparations  necessary  for  the 
journey  were  talked  over,  and  in  this  happy 
discussion  the  evening  passed  rapidly.  The 
dream  of  Ethel's  life  had  been  this  visit  to 
the  home  of  her  family,  and  to  go  as  its  sav 
ior  was  a  consummation  of  the  pleasure  that 
filled  her  with  loving  pride.  She  could  not 
sleep  for  her  waking  dreams.  She  made  all 
sorts  of  resolutions  about  the  despised  Tyr- 
rel-Rawdons.  She  intended  to  show  the 
proud,  indolent  world  of  the  English  land- 
aristocracy  that  Americans,  just  as  well  born 
as  themselves,  respected  business  energy  and 
enterprise;  and  she  had  other  plans  and 
propositions  just  as  interesting  and  as  full  of 
youth's  impossible  enthusiasm. 

In  the  morning  she  went  to  talk  the  sub 
ject  over  with  her  grandmother.  The  old 
lady  received  the  news  with  affected  indif- 


150  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

ference.  She  said,  "  It  mattered  nothing 
to  her  who  sat  in  Rawdon's  seat;  but  she 
would  not  hear  Mostyn  blamed  for  seeking 
his  right.  Money  and  sentiment  are  no  kin," 
she  added,  "  and  Fred  has  no  sentiment  about 
Rawdon.  Why  should  he?  Only  last  sum 
mer  Rawdon  kept  him  out  of  Parliamentr 
and  made  him  spend  a  lot  of  money  beside, 
He's  right  to  get  even  with  the  family  if  he 


can.' 


But  the  old  Squire!    He  is  now- 


'  I  know;  he's  older  than  I  am.  But 
Squire  Percival  has  had  his  day,  and  Fred 
would  not  do  anything  out  of  the  way  to 
him — he  could  not;  the  county  would  make 
both  Mostyn  and  Eawdon  very  uncomfort 
able  places  to  live  in,  if  he  did." 

"  If  you  turn  a  man  out  of  his  home  when 
he  is  eighty  years  old,  I  think  that  is  *  out  of 
the  way.'  And  Mr.  Mostyn  is  not  to  be 
trusted.  I  wouldn't  trust  him  as  far  as  I 
could  see  him." 

"  Highty-tighty !  He  has  not  asked  you 
to  trust  him.  You  lost  your  chance  there, 


miss.' 


"  Grandmother,  I  am  astonished  at  you!  ' 
"  Well,  it  was  a  mean  thing  to  say,  Ethel; 
but  I  like  Fred,  and  I  see  the  rest  of  my 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  151 

family  are  against  him.  It's  natural  for 
•Yorkshire  to  help  the  weakest  side.  But 
there,  Fred  can  do  his  own  fighting,  I'll  war 
rant.  He's  not  an  ordinary  man." 

"I'm  sorry  to  say  he  isn't,  grandmother. 
If  he  were  he  would  speak  without  a  drawl, 
and  get  rid  of  his  monocle,  and  not  pay  such 
minute  attention  to  his  coats  and  vests  and 
walking  sticks." 

Then  Ethel  proceeded  to  explain  her  re 
solves  with  regard  to  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons. 
"  I  shall  pay  them  the  greatest  attention," 
she  said.  "  It  was  a  noble  thing  in  young 
Tyrrel-Bawdon  to  give  up  everything  for 
honorable  love,  and  I  think  everyone  ought 
to  have  stood  by  him." 

"  That  wouldn't  have  done  at  all.  If  Tyr- 
rel  had  been  petted  as  you  think  he  ought  to 
have  been,  every  respectable  young  man  and 
woman  in  the  county  would  have  married 
where  their  fancy  led  them;  and  the  fancies 
of  young  people  mostly  lead  them  to  the  road 
it  is  ruin  to  take." 

"  From  what  Fred  Mostyn  says,  Tyrrel's 
descendants  seem  to  have  taken  a  very  re 
spectable  road." 

"I've  nothing  to  say  for  or  against  them. 
It's  years  and  years  since  I  laid  eyes  on  any 


152  THE    MAN  BETWEEN 

of  the  family.  Your  grandfather  helped  one 
of  the  young  men  to  come  to  America,  and 
I  remember  his  mother  getting  into  a  pas 
sion  about  it.  She  was  a  fat  woman  in  a 
Paisley  shawl  and  a  love-bird  on  her  bonnet. 
I  saw  his  sister  often.  She  weighed  about 
twelve  stone,  and  had  red  hair  and  red 
cheeks  and  bare  red  elbows.  She  was  called 
a  l  strapping  lass.'  That  is  quite  a  compli 
mentary  term  in  the  West  Riding." 

"  Please,  grandmother,  I  don't  want  to 
hear  any  more.  In  two  weeks  I  shall  be  able 
to  judge  for  myself.  Since  then  there  have 
been  two  generations,  and  if  a  member  of 
the  present  one  is  fit  for  Parliament " 

"  That's  nothing.  We  needn't  look  for 
anything  specially  refined  in  Parliament  in 
these  days.  There's  another  thing.  These 
Tyrrel-Rawdons  are  chapel  people.  The  rec 
tor  of  Rawdon  church  would  not  marry  Tyr- 
rel  to  his  low-born  love,  and  so  they  went  to 
the  Methodist  preacher,  and  after  that  to  the 
Methodist  chapel.  That  put  them  down,  more 
than  you  can  imagine  here  in  America." 

"  It  was  a  shame!  Methodists  are  most 
respectable  people." 

"I'm  saying  nothing  contrary." 

"  The  President  is  a  Methodist." 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  153 

"  I  never  asked  what  he  was.  I  am  a 
Church  of  England  woman,  you  know  that. 
Born  and  bred  in  the  Church,  baptized,  con 
firmed,  and  married  in  the  Church,  and  I 
was  always  taught  it  was  the  only  proper 
Church  for  gentlemen  and  gentlewomen  to  be 
saved  in.  However,  English  Methodists  often 
go  back  to  the  Church  when  they  get  rich." 

"  Church  or  chapel  makes  no  difference  to 
me,  grandmother.  If  people  are  only  good." 

"  To  be  sure ;  but  you  won't  be  long  in  Eng 
land  until  you'll  find  out  that  some  things 
make  a  great  deal  of  difference.  Do  you 
know  your  father  was  here  this  morning1? 
He  wanted  me  to  go  with  you — a  likely 
thing." 

"  But,  grandmother,  do  come.  We  will 
take  such  good  care  of  you,  and 

"  I  know,  but  I'd  rather  keep  my  old 
memories  of  Yorkshire  than  get  new-fash 
ioned  ones.  All  is  changed.  I  can  tell  that 
by  what  Fred  says.  My  three  great  friends 
are  dead.  They  have  left  children  and  grand 
children,  of  course,  but  I  don't  want  to  make 
new  acquaintances  at  my  age,  unless  I  have 
the  picking  of  them.  No,  I  shall  get  Miss 
Hillis  to  go  with  me  to  my  little  cabin  on  the 
Jersey  coast.  We'll  take  our  knitting  and 


154  THE   MAN  BETWEEN" 

the  fresh  novels,  and  I'll  warrant  we'll  see 
as  much  of  the  new  men  and  women  in  them 
as  will  more  than  satisfy  us.  But  you  must 
write  me  long  letters,  and  tell  me  everything 
about  the  Squire  and  the  way  he  keeps  house, 
and  I  don't  care  if  you  fill  up  the  paper  with 
the  Tyrrel-Rawdons." 

"  I  will  write  you  often,  Granny,  and  tell 
you  everything." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  come  across 
Dora  Stanhope,  but  I  wouldn't  ask  her  to 
Rawdon.  She'll  mix  some  cup  of  bother  if 
you  do." 

"I  know." 

In  such  loving  and  intimate  conversation 
the  hours  sped  quickly,  and  Ethel  could  not 
bear  to  cut  short  her  visit.  It  was  nearly  five 
when  she  left  Gramercy  Park,  but  the  day 
being  lovely,  and  the  avenue  full  of  carriages 
and  pedestrians,  she  took  the  drive  at  its  en 
forced  tardiness  without  disapproval.  Al 
most  on  entering  the  avenue  from  Madison 
Square  there  was  a  crush,  and  her  carriage 
came  to  a  standstill.  She  was  then  opposite 
the  store  of  a  famous  English  saddler,  and 
near  her  was  an  open  carriage  occupied  by  a 
middle-aged  gentleman  in  military  uniform. 
'He  appeared  to  be  waiting  for  someone,  and 


THE  MAN   BETWEEN  155 

in  a  moment  or  two  a  young  man  came  out  of 
the  saddlery  store,  and  with  a  pleasant  laugh 
entered  the  carriage.  It  was  the  Apollo  of 
her  dreams,  the  singer  of  the  Holland  House 
pavement.  She  could  not  doubt  it.  His  face, 
his  figure,  his  walk,  and  the  pleasant  smile 
with  which  he  spoke  to  his  companion  were  all 
positive  characteristics.  She  had  forgotten 
none  of  them.  His  dress  was  altered  to  suit 
the  season,  but  that  was  an  improvement; 
for  divested  of  his  heavy  coat,  and  clothed 
only  in  a  stylish  afternoon  suit,  his  tall,  fine 
figure  showed  to  great  advantage;  and  Ethel 
told  herself  that  he  was  even  handsomer  than 
she  had  supposed  him  to  be. 

Almost  as  soon  as  he  entered  his  carriage 
there  was  a  movement,  and  she  hoped  her 
driver  might  advance  sufficiently  to  make 
recognition  possible,  but  some  feeling,  she 
knew  not  what,  prevented  her  giving  any 
order  leading  to  this  result.  Perhaps  she  had 
an  instinctive  presentiment  that  it  was  best 
to  leave  all  to  Destiny.  Toward  the  upper 
part  of  the  avenue  the  carriage  of  her  eager 
observation  came  to  a  stand  before  a  ware 
house  of  antique  furniture  and  bric-a-brac, 
and,  as  it  did  so,  a  beautiful  woman  ran  down 
the  steps,  and  Apollo,  for  so  Ethel  had  men- 


156  THE   MAN  BETWEEN" 

tally  called  him,  went  hurriedly  to  meet  her. 
Finally  her  coachman  passed  the  party  z  and 
there  was  a  momentary  recognition.  He  was 
bending  forward,  listening  to  something  the 
lady  was  saying,  when  the  vehicles  almost 
touched  each  other.  He  flashed  a  glance  at 
them,  and  met  the  flash  of  Ethel's  eyes  full  of 
interest  and  curiosity. 

It  was  over  in  a  moment,  but  in  that  mo 
ment  Ethel  saw  his  astonishment  and  delight, 
and  felt  her  own  eager  questioning  answered. 
Then  she  was  joyous  and  full  of  hope,  for 
"  these  two  silent  meetings  are  promises,"  she 
said  to  Ruth.  "  I  feel  sure  I  shall  see  him 
again,  and  then  we  shall  speak  to  each  other." 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  allowing  yourself  to 
feel  too  much  interest  in  this  man,  Ethel;  he 
is  very  likely  married." 

' '  Oh,  no !    I  am  sure  he  is  not,  Euth. ' ' 

"  How  can  you  be  sure?  You  know  noth 
ing  about  him." 

"  I  cannot  tell  how  I  know,  nor  why  I  know, 
but  I  believe  what  I  feel;  and  he  is  as  much 
interested  in  me  as  I  am  in  him.  I  confess 
that  is  a  great  deal." 

"  You  may  never  see  him  again." 

"  I  shall  expect  to  see  him  next  winter;  he 
evidently  lives  in  New  York." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  157 

"  The  lady  you  saw  may  be  his  wife.  Don't 
be  interested  in  any  man  on  unknown  ground, 
Ethel.  It  is  not  prudent — it  is  not  right." 

"  Time  will  show.  He  will  very  likely  be 
looking  for  me  this  summer  at  Newport  and 
elsewhere.  He  will  be  glad  to  see  me  when  I 
come  home.  Don't  worry,  Ruth.  It  is  all 
right." 

"  Fred  called  soon  after  you  went  out  this 
morning.  He  left  for  Newport  this  after 
noon.  He  will  be  at  sea  now." 

"  And  we  shall  be  there  in  a  few  days. 
When  I  am  at  the  seaside  I  always  feel  a 
delicious  torpor;  yet  Nelly  Baldwin  told  me 
she  loved  an  Atlantic  passage  because  she  had 
such  fun  on  board.  You  have  crossed  several 
times,  Ruth ;  is  it  fun  or  torpor  ?  ' 

"  All  mirth  at  sea  soon  fades  away,  Ethel. 
Passengers  are  a  very  dull  class  of  people, 
and  they  know  it;  they  rebel  against  it,  but 
every  hour  it  becomes  more  natural  to  be  dull. 
.Very  soon  all  mentally  accommodate  them 
selves  to  being  bored,  dreamy  and  dreary. 
Then,  as  soon  as  it  is  dark,  comes  that  old 
mysterious,  hungering  sound  of  the  sea;  and 
I  for  one  listen  till  I  can  bear  it  no  longer, 
and  so  steal  away  to  bed  with  a  pain  in  my 
heart." 


158  THE   MAN  BETWEEN" 

"  I  think  I  shall  like  the  ocean.  There  are 
games,  and  books,  and  company,  and  dinners, 
and  other  things." 

11  Certainly,  and  you  can  think  yourself 
happy,  until  gradually  a  contented  cretinism 
steals  over  you,  body  and  mind." 

"  No,  no!'  said  Ethel  enthusiastically. 
"  I  shall  do  according  to  Swinburne — 

" '  Have  therefore  in  my  heart,  and  in  my  mouth, 
The  sound  of  song  that  mingles  North  and  South; 
And  in  my  Soul  the  sense  of  all  the  Sea ! '  • 

And  Ruth  laughed  at  her  dramatic  attitude, 
and  answered:  "  The  soul  of  all  the  sea  is  a 
contented  cretinism,  Ethel.  But  in  ten  days 
we  may  be  in  Yorkshire.  And  then,  my  dear, 
you  may  meet  your  Prince — some  fine  York 
shire  gentleman." 

"  I  have  strictly  and  positively  promised 
myself  that  my  Prince  shall  be  a  fine  Ameri 
can  gentleman." 

"  My  dear  Ethel,  it  is  very  seldom 

" e  the  time,  and  the  place, 
And  the  Loved  One,  come  together/" 

"  I  live  in  the  land  of  good  hope,  Ruth,  and 
my  hopes  will  be  realized." 
"  We  shall  see." 


PART  THIRD 


*  I  WENT  DOWN  INTO  THE  GARDEN  *  *  *  TO 
SEE  IF  THE  POMEGRANATES  BUDDED." 

Song  of  Solomon,  vi.  11. 


CHAPTER 


IT  was  a  lovely  afternoon  on  the  last  daj 
of  May.  The  sea  and  all  the  toil  and  travail 
belonging  to  it  was  overpast,  and  Judge  Raw- 
don,  Ruth  and  Ethel  were  driving  in  lazy, 
blissful  contentment  through  one  of  the 
lovely  roads  of  the  West  Riding.  On  either 
hand  the  beautifully  cut  hedges  were  white 
and  sweet,  and  a  caress  of  scent  —  the  soul  of 
the  hawthorne  flower  —  enfolded  them.  Robins 
were  singing  on  the  topmost  sprays,  and  the 
linnet's  sweet  babbling  was  heard  from  the 
happy  nests  in  its  secret  places;  while  from 
some  unseen  steeple  the  joyful  sound  of 
chiming  bells  made  music  between  heaven 
and  earth  fit  for  bands  of  traveling  angels. 

They  had  dined  at  a  wayside  inn  on  jugged 
hare,  roast  beef,  and  Yorkshire  pudding, 
clotted  cream  and  haver  (oaten)  bread,  and 
the  careless  stillness  of  physical  well-being 
and  of  minds  at  ease  needed  no  speech,  but 
the  mutual  smiling  nod  of  intimate  sympathy. 
For  the  sense  of  joy  and  beauty  which  makes 


162  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

us  eloquent  is  far  inferior  to  that  sense  which 
makes  us  silent. 

This  exquisite  pause  in  life  was  suddenly 
ended  by  an  exclamation  from  the  Judge. 
They  were  at  the  great  iron  gates  of  Rawdon 
Park,  and  soon  were  slowly  traversing  its 
woody  solitudes.  The  soft  light,  the  unspeak 
able  green  of  the  turf,  the  voice  of  ancient 
days  murmuring  in  the  great  oak  trees,  the 
deer  asleep  among  the  ferns,  the  stillness  of 
the  summer  afternoon  filling  the  air  with 
drowsy  peace — this  was  the  atmosphere  into 
which  they  entered.  Their  road  through  this 
grand  park  of  three  hundred  acres  was  a  wide, 
straight  avenue  shaded  with  beech  trees.  The 
green  turf  on  either  hand  was  starred  with 
primroses.  In  the  deep  undergrowth,  ferns 
waved  and  fanned  each  other,  and  the  scent 
of  hidden  violets  saluted  as  they  passed. 
Drowsily,  as  if  half  asleep,  the  blackbirds 
whistled  their  couplets,  and  in  the  thickest 
hedges  the  little  brown  thrushes  sang  softly 
to  their  brooding  mates.  For  half  an  hour 
they  kept  this  heavenly  path,  and  then  a  sud 
den  turn  brought  them  their  first  sight  of  the 
old  home. 

It  was  a  stately,  irregular  building  of  red 
brick,  sandaled  and  veiled  in  ivy.  The  nu- 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  163 

merous  windows  were  all  latticed,  the  chim 
neys  in  picturesque  stacks,  the  sloping  roof 
made  of  flags  of  sandstone.  It  stood  in  the 
center  of  a  large  garden,  at  the  bottom  of 
which  ran  a  babbling  little  river — a  cheerful 
tongue  of  life  in  the  sweet,  silent  place.  They 
crossed  it  by  a  pretty  bridge,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  stood  at  the  great  door  of  the  man 
sion.  It  was  wide  open,  and  the  Squire,  with 
outstretched  hands,  rose  to  meet  them.  While 
yet  upon  the  threshold  he  kissed  both  Ethel 
and  Ruth,  and,  clasping  the  Judge's  hand, 
gazed  at  him  with  such  a  piercing,  kindly 
look  that  the  eyes  of  both  men  filled  with 
tears. 

He  led  them  into  the  hall,  and  standing 
there  he  seemed  almost  a  part  of  it.  In  his 
youth  he  had  been  a  son  of  Anak,  and  his 
great  size  had  been  matched  by  his  great 
strength.  His  stature  was  still  large,  his  face 
broad  and  massive,  and  an  abundance  of 
snow-white  hair  emphasized  the  dignity  of  a 
countenance  which  age  had  made  nobler.  The 
generations  of  eight  hundred  years  were  crys 
tallized  in  this  benignant  old  man,  looking 
with  such  eager  interest  into  the  faces  of  his 
strange  kindred  from  a  far-off  land. 

In  the  evening  they  sat  together  in  the  old 


164  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

hall  talking  of  the  Rawdons.  "  There  is  a 
great  family  of  us,  living  and  dead,"  said  the 
Squire,  "  and  I  count  them  all  my  friends. 
Bare  is  the  back  that  has  no  kin  behind  it. 
That  is  not  our  case.  Eight  hundred  years 
ago  there  was  a  Rawdon  in  Rawdon,  and  one 
has  never  been  wanting  since.  Saxon,  Danish, 
Norman,  and  Stuart  kings  have  been  and 
gone  their  way,  and  we  remain;  and  I  can 
tell  you  every  Rawdon  born  since  the  House 
of  Hanover  came  to  England.  We  have  had 
our  share  in  all  England's  strife  and  glory, 
for  if  there  was  ever  a  fight  going  on  any 
where  Rawdon  was  never  far  off.  Yes,  we 
can  string  the  centuries  together  in  the  battle 
flags  we  have  won.  See  there!  "  he  cried, 
pointing  to  two  standards  interwoven  above 
the  central  chimney-piece;  "  one  was  taken 
from  the  Paynim  in  the  first  Crusade,  and 
the  other  my  grandson  took  in  Africa.  It 
seems  but  yesterday,  and  Queen  Victoria  gave 
him  the  Cross  for  it.  Poor  lad,  he  had  it  on 
when  he  died.  It  went  to  the  grave  with  him. 
I  wouldn't  have  it  touched.  I  fancy  the  Raw- 
dons  would  know  it.  No  one  dare  say  they 
,  don't.  I  think  they  meddle  a  good  deal  more 
with  this  life  than  we  count  on." 

The  days  that  followed  were  days  in  The 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  163 

House  Wonderful.  It  held  the  treasure-trove 
of  centuries ;  all  its  rooms  were  full  of  secrets. 
Even  the  common  sitting-room  had  an  an 
tique  homeliness  that  provoked  questions  as 
to  the  dates  of  its  furniture  and  the  where 
abouts  of  its  wall  cupboards  and  hidden  re 
cesses.  Its  china  had  the  marks  of  forgotten 
makers,  its  silver  was  puzzling  with  half- 
obliterated  names  and  dates,  its  sideboard  of 
oak  was  black  with  age  and  full  of  table  ac 
cessories,  the  very  names  of  which  were  for 
gotten.  For  this  house  had  not  been  built  in 
the  ordinary  sense,  it  had  grown  through 
centuries;  grown  out  of  desire  and  necessity, 
just  as  a  tree  grows,  and  was  therefore  fit  and 
beautiful.  And  it  was  no  wonder  that  about 
every  room  floated  the  perfume  of  ancient 
things  and  the  peculiar  family  aura  that  had 
saturated  all  the  inanimate  objects  around 
them. 

In  a  few  days,  life  settled  itself  to  orderly 
occupations.  The  Squire  was  a  late  riser ;  the 
Judge  and  his  family  breakfasted  very  early. 
Then  the  two  women  had  a  ride  in  the  park, 
or  wandered  in  the  garden,  or  sat  reading,  or 
sewing,  or  writing  in  some  of  the  sweet,  fair 
rooms.  Many  visitors  soon  appeared,  and 
there  were  calls  to  return  and  courtesies  to 


166  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

accept.  Among  these  visitors  the  Tyrrel- 
Rawdons  were  the  earliest.  The  representa 
tives  of  that  family  were  Nicholas  Rawdon 
and  his  wife  Lydia.  Nicholas  Rawdon  was  a 
large,  stout  man,  very  arrogant,  very  com 
plete,  very  alert  for  this  world,  and  not  caring 
much  about  the  other.  He  was  not  pleased 
at  Judge  Rawdon 's  visit,  but  thought  it  best 
to  be  cousinly  until  his  cousin  interfered  with 
his  plans — "  rights  "  he  called  them — "  and 
then!  '  and  his  "  then  '  implied  a  great 
deal,  for  Nicholas  Rawdon  was  a  man  inca 
pable  of  conceiving  the  idea  of  loving  an 
enemy. 

His  wife  was  a  pleasant,  garrulous  woman, 
who  interested  Ethel  very  much.  Her  family 
was  her  chief  topic  of  conversation.  She  had 
two  daughters,  one  of  whom  had  married  a 
baronet,  "  a  man  with  money  and  easy  to 
manage  ";  and  the  other,  "  a  rich  cotton  lord 
in  Manchester." 

"  They  haven't  done  badly,"  she  said  con 
fidentially,  "  and  it's  a  great  thing  to  get  girls 
off  your  hands  early.  Adelaide  and  Martha 
were  well  educated  and  suitable,  but,"  she 
added  with  a  glow  of  pride,  "  you  should  see 
my  John  Thomas.  He's  manager  of  the  mill, 
and  he  loves  the  mill,  and  he  knows  every 


THE   MAN"  BETWEEN  167 

pound  of  warp  or  weft  that  comes  in  or  goes 
out  of  the  mill;  and  what  his  father  would 
do  without  him,  I'm  sure  I  don't  know.  And 
he  is  a  member  of  Parliament,  too — Radical 
ticket.  Won  over  Mostyn.  Wiped  Mostyn 
out  pretty  well.  That  was  a  thing  to  do, 
wasn't  it?  " 

"  I  suppose  Mr.  Mostyn  was  the  Conserva 
tive  candidate?  ' 

"  You  may  be  sure  of  that.  But  my  John 
Thomas  doesn't  blame  him  for  it — the  gentry 
have  to  be  Conservatives.  John  Thomas  said 
little  against  his  politics ;  he  just  set  the  crowd 
laughing  at  his  ways — his  dandified  ways. 
And  he  tried  to  wear  one  eyeglass,  and  let  it 
fall,  and  fall,  and  then  told  the  men  '  he 
couldn't  manage  half  a  pair  of  spectacles; 
but  he  could  manage  their  interests  and  fight 
for  their  rights,'  and  such  like  talk.  And  he 
walked  like  Mostyn,  and  he  talked  like  Mos 
tyn,  and  spread  out  his  legs,  and  twirled  his 
walking  stick  like  Mostyn,  and  asked  them 
1  if  they  would  wish  him  to  go  to  Parliament 
in  that  kind  of  a  shape,  as  he'd  try  and  do  it 
if  they  wanted  a  tailor-made  man  ' ;  and  they 
laughed  him  down,  and  then  he  spoke  reason 
able  to  them.  John  Thomas  knows  what 
Yorkshire  weavers  want,  and  he  just  prom- 


168  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

ised  them  everything  they  had  set  their  hearts 
on;  and  so  they  sent  him  to  Parliament,  and 
Mostyn  went  to  America,  where,  perhaps, 
they'll  teach  him  that  a  man's  life  is  worth 
a  bit  more  than  a  bird  or  a  rabbit.  Mostyn 
is  all  for  preserving  game,  and  his  father  was 
a  mean  creature.  When  one  thinks  of  his 
father,  one  has  to  excuse  the  young  man  a 
little  bit." 

"  I  saw  a  good  deal  of  Mr.  Mostyn  in  New 
York,"  said  Ethel.  "  He  used  to  speak  highly 
of  his  father." 

"Ill  warrant  he  did;  and  he  ought  to  keep 
at  it,  for  he's  the  only  one  in  this  world  that 
will  use  his  tongue  for  that  end.  Old  Samuel 
Mostyn  never  learned  to  live  godly  or  even 
manly,  but  after  his  death  he  ceased  to  do 
evil,  and  that,  I've  no  doubt,  often  feels  like 
a  blessing  to  them  that  had  to  live  anyway 
near  to  him.  But  my  John  Thomas !  ' 

"  Oh,"  cried  Ethel,  laughing,  "  you  must 
not  tell  me  so  much  about  John  Thomas;  he 
might  not  like  it." 

"  John  Thomas  can  look  all  he  does  and 
all  he  says  straight  in  the  face.  You  may 
talk  of  him  all  day,  and  find  nothing  to  say 
that  a  good  girl  like  you  might  not  listen  to. 
I  should  have  brought  him  with  us,  but  he's 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

away  now  taking  a  bit  of  a  holiday.  I'm  sure 
he  needs  it." 

"  Where  is  he  taking  his  holiday?  " 

"  Why,  he  went  with  a  cousin  to  show 
him  the  sights  of  London;  but  somehow  they 
got  through  London  sights  very  quick,  and 
thought  they  might  as  well  put  Paris  in.  I 
wish  they  hadn't.  I  don't  trust  foreigners  and 
foreign  ways,  and  they  don't  have  the  same 
kind  of  money  as  ours;  but  Nicholas  says  I 
needn't  worry;  he  is  sure  that  our  John 
Thomas,  if  change  is  to  make,  will  make  it  to 
suit  himself." 

"  How  soon  will  he  be  home'?  ' 

"  I  might  say  to-day  or  any  other  early 
day.  He's  been  idling  for  a  month  now,  and 
his  father  says  '  the  very  looms  are  calling 
out  for  him.'  I'll  bring  him  to  see  you  just 
as  soon  as  he  comes  home,  looms  or  no  looms, 
and  he  '11  be  fain  to  come.  No  one  appreciates 
a  pretty  girl  more  than  John  Thomas  does." 

So  the  days  passed  sweetly  and  swiftly  on 
ward,  and  there  was  no  trouble  in  them.  Such 
business  as -was  to  be  done  w,ent  on  behind 
the  closed  doors  of  the  Squire's  office,  and 
with  no  one  present  but  himself,  Judge  Raw- 
don,  and  the  attorneys  attached  to  the  Kaw- 
don  and  Mostyn  estates.  And  as  there  were 


170  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

no  entanglements  and  no  possible  reason  for 
disputing,  a  settlement  was  quickly  arrived 
at.  Then,  as  Mostyn's  return  was  uncertain, 
an  attorney's  messenger,  properly  accredited, 
was  sent  to  America  to  procure  his  signatures. 
Allowing  for  unforeseen  delays,  the  perfected 
papers  of  release  might  certainly  be  on  hand 
by  the  fifteenth  of  July,  and  it  was  proposed 
on  the  first  of  August  to  give  a  dinner  and 
dance  in  return  for  the  numerous  courtesies 
the  American  Rawdons  had  received. 

As  this  date  approached  Ruth  and  Ethel 
began  to  think  of  a  visit  to  London.  They 
wanted  new  gowns  and  many  other  pretty 
things,  and  why  not  go  to  London  for  them? 
The  journey  was  but  a  few  hours,  and  two  or 
three  days'  shopping  in  Regent  Street  and 
Piccadilly  would  be  delightful.  "  We  will 
make  out  a  list  of  all  we  need  this  afternoon, ' ' 
said  Ruth,  "  and  we  might  as  well  go  to-mor 
row  morning  as  later,"  and  at  this  moment  a 
servant  entered  with  the  mail.  Ethel  lifted 
her  letter  with  an  exclamation.  "It  is  from 
Dora,"  she  said,  and  her  voice  had  a  tone  of 
annoyance  in  it.  "  Dora  is  in  London,  at  the 
Savoy.  She  wants  to  see  me  very  much." 

"  I  am  so  sorry.    We  have  been  so  happy." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  171 

"  I  don't  think  she  will  interfere  much, 
Ruth." 

"  My  dears,"  said  Judge  Rawdon,  "  I  have 
a  letter  from  Fred  Mostyn.  He  is  coming 
home.  He  will  be  in  London  in  3,  day  or  two." 

"  Why  is  he  coming,  father?  ' 

"  He  says  he  has  a  proposal  to  make  about 
the  Manor.  I  wish  he  were  not  coming.  No 
one  wants  his  proposal."  Then  the  breakfast- 
table,  which  had  been  so  gay,  became  silent 
and  depressed,  and  presently  the  Judge  went 
away  without  exhibiting  further  interest  in 
the  London  journey. 

"  I  do  wish  Dora  would  let  us  alone,"  said 
Ruth.  "  She  always  brings  disappointment 
or  worry  of  some  kind.  And  I  wonder  what 
is  the  meaning  of  this  unexpected  London 
visit.  I  thought  she  was  in  Holland." 

"  She  said  in  her  last  letter  that  London 
would  be  impossible  before  August." 

"  Is  it  an  appointment — or  a  coincidence?  ' 

And  Ethel,  lifting  her  shoulders  sarcas 
tically,  as  if  in  hostile  surrender  to  the  in 
evitable,  answered: 

"  It  is  a  fatality!  " 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THREE  days  afterward  Ethel  called  on  Dora 
Stanhope  at  the  Savoy.  She  found  her  alone, 
and  she  had  evidently  been  crying.  Indeed,  she 
frankly  admitted  the  fact,  declaring  that  she 
had  been  "  so  bored  and  so  homesick,  that  she 
believed  she  had  cried  her  beauty  away. ' '  She 
glanced  at  Ethel's  radiant  face  and  neat  fresh 
toilet  with  envy,  and  added,  "  I  am  so  glad 
to  see  you,  Ethel.  But  I  was  sure  that  you 
would  come  as  soon  as  you  knew  I  wanted 
you." 

11  Oh,  indeed,  Dora,  you  must  not  make 
yourself  too  sure  of  such  a  thing  as  that!  I 
really  came  to  London  to  get  some  new  gowns. 
I  have  been  shopping  all  morning." 

"  I  thought  you  had  come  in  answer  to  my 
letter.  I  was  expecting  you.  That  is  the 
reason  I  did  not  go  out  with  Basil." 

"  Don't  you  expect  a  little  too  much,  Dora? 
I  have  a  great  many  interests  and  duties " 

"  I  used  to  be  first." 

"  When  a  girl  marries  she  is  supposed 
to " 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  173 

"  Please  don't  talk  nonsense.  Basil  does 
not  take  the  place  of  everyone  and  everything 
else.  I  think  we  are  often  very  tired  of  each 
other.  This  morning,  when  I  was  telling  him 
what  trouble  I  had  with  my  maid,  Julia,  he 
actually  yawned.  He  tried  to  smother  the 
yawn,  but  he  could  not,  and  of  course  the 
honeymoon  is  over  when  your  bridegroom 
yawns  in  your  face  while  you  are  telling  him 
your  troubles." 

"  I  should  think  you  would  be  glad  it  was 
over.  Of  all  the  words  in  the  English  lan 
guage  '  honeymoon  '  is  the  most  ridiculous 
and  imbecile. " 

"  I  suppose  when  you  get  married  you  will 
take  a  honeymoon. " 

"  I  shall  have  more  sense  and  more  selfish 
ness.  A  girl  could  hardly  enter  a  new  life 
through  a  medium  more  trying.  I  am  sure  it 
would  need  long-tested  affections  and  the 
sweetest  of  tempers  to  make  it  endurable." 

"  I  cannot  imagine  what  you  mean." 

"  I  mean  that  all  traveling  just  after  mar 
riage  is  a  great  blunder.  Traveling  makes 
the  sunniest  disposition  hasty  and  peevish, 
for  women  don't  love  changes  as  men  do. 
Not  one  in  a  thousand  is  seen  at  her  best 
while  traveling,  and  the  majority  are  seen  at 


174  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

their  very  worst.  Then  there  is  the  discom 
fort  and  desolation  of  European  hotels — 
their  mysterious  methods  and  hours,  and  the 
ways  of  foreigners,  which  are  not  as  our 
ways." 

"Don't  talk  of  them,  Ethel.  They  are 
dreadful  places,  and  such  queer  people." 

"  Add  to  these  troubles  ignorance  of  lan 
guage  and  coinage,  the  utter  weariness  of 
railway  travel,  the  plague  of  customs,  the 
trunk  that  won't  pack,  the  trains  that  won't 
wait,  the  tiresome  sight-seeing,  the  climatic 
irritability,  broiling  suns,  headache,  loneli 
ness,  fretfulness — consequently  the  pitiful 
boredom  of  the  new  husband." 

"  Ethel,  what  you  say  is  certainly  too  true. 
I  am  weary  to  death  of  it  all.  I  want  to  be 
at  Newport  with  mother,  who  is  having  a 
lovely  time  there.  Of  course  Basil  is  very 
nice  to  me,  and  yet  there  have  been  little  tiffs 
and  struggles — very  gentle  ones — for  the  mas 
tery,  which  he  is  not  going  to  get.  To-day  he 
wanted  me  to  go  with  him  and  Canon  Shackle- 
ton  to  see  something  or  other  about  the  poor 
of  London.  I  would  not  do  it.  I  am  so  lonely, 
Ethel,  I  want  to  see  some  one.  I  feel  fit  to 
cry  all  the  time.  I  like  Basil  best  of  anyone 
in  the  world,  but " 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  175 

"  But  in  the  solitude  of  a  honeymoon  among 
strangers  you  find  out  that  the  person  you  like 
best  in  the  world  can  bore  you  as  badly  as 
the  person  you  don't  like  at  sil.  Is  that  so?  ' 

"  Exactly.  Just  fancy  if  we  were  among 
our  friends  in  Newport.  I  should  have  some 
pleasure  in  dressing  and  looking  lovely.  Why 
should  I  dress  here  I  There  is  no  one  to  see 
me." 

"  Basil." 

"  Of  course,  but  Basil  spends  all  the  time 
in  visiting  cathedrals  and  clergymen.  If  we 
go  out,  it  is  to  see  something  about  the  poor, 
or  about  schools  and  such  like.  We  were  not 
in  London  two  hours  until  he  was  off  to  West 
minster  Abbey,  and  I  didn't  care  a  cent  about 
the  old  place.  He  says  I  must  not  ask  him  to 
go  to  theaters,  but  historical  old  houses  don't 
interest  me  at  all.  What  does  it  matter  if 
Cromwell  slept  in  a  certain  ancient  shabby 
room?  And  as  for  all  the  palaces  I  have 
seen,  my  father's  house  is  a  great  deal  hand 
somer,  and  more  convenient,  and  more  com 
fortable,  and  I  wish  I  were  there.  I  hate  Eu 
rope,  and  England  I  hate  worst  of  all." 

"  You  have  not  seen  England.  We  are  all 
enraptured  with  its  beauty  and  its  old  houses 
and  pleasant  life. ' ' 


176  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  You  are  among  friends — at  home,  as  it 
were.  I  have  heard  all  about  Rawdon  Court. 
Fred  Mostyn  told  me.  He  is  going  to  buy  it." 

"  When?  " 

"  Some  time  this  fall.  Then  next  year  he 
will  entertain  us,  and  that  will  be  a  little  dif 
ferent  to  this  desolate  hotel,  I  think." 

' '  How  long  will  you  be  in  London  ?  ' 

"  I  cannot  say.  We  are  invited  to  Stan 
hope  Castle,  but  I  don't  want  to  go  there. 
We  stayed  with  the  Stanhopes  a  week  when 
we  first  came  over.  They  were  then  in  their 
London  house,  and  I  got  enough  of  them." 

"  Did  you  dislike  the  family?  ' 

"  No,  I  cared  nothing  about  them.  They 
just  bored  me.  They  are  extremely  religious. 
We  had  prayers  night  and  morning,  and  a 
prayer  before  and  after  every  meal.  They 
read  only  very  good  books,  and  the  Honorable 
Misses  Stanhope  sew  for  the  poor  old  women 
and  teach  the  poor  young  ones.  They  work 
harder  than  anyone  I  ever  knew,  and  they  call 
it  '  improving  the  time.'  They  thought  me  a 
very  silly,  reckless  young  woman,  and  I  think 
they  all  prayed  for  me.  One  night  after  they 
had  sung  some  very  nice  songs  they  asked  me 
to  play,  and  I  began  with  '  My  Little  Brown 
Rose  ' — you  know  they  all  adore  the  negro — 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  177 

and  little  by  little  I  dropped  into  the  funniest 
coon  songs  I  knew,  and  oh  how  they  laughed ! 
Even  the  old  lord  stroked  his  knees  and 
laughed  out  loud,  while  the  young  ladies 
laughed  into  their  handkerchiefs.  Lady 
Stanhope  was  the  only  one  who  compre 
hended  I  was  guying  them ;  and  she  looked  at 
me  with  half -shut  eyes  in  a  way  that  would 
have  spoiled  some  girls'  fun.  It  only  made 
me  the  merrier.  So  I  tried  to  show  them  a 
cake  walk,  but  the  old  lord  rose  then  and  said 
'  I  must  be  tired,  and  they  would  excuse  me.' 
Somehow  I  could  not  manage  him.  Basil 
was  at  a  workman's  concert,  and  when  he 
came  home  I  think  there  were  some  advices 
and  remonstrances,  but  Basil  never  told  me. 
I  felt  as  if  they  were  all  glad  when  I  went 
away,  and  I  don't  wish  to  go  to  the  Castle — 
and  I  won't  go  either." 

"  But  if  Basil  wishes  to  go " 

"  He  can  go  alone.  I  rather  think  Fred 
Mostyn  will  be  here  in  a  few  days,  and  he  will 
take  me  to  places  that  Basil  will  not — inno 
cent  places  enough,  Ethel,  so  you  need  not 
look  so  shocked.  Why  do  you  not  ask  me  to 
Rawdon  Court?  " 

"  Because  I  am  only  a  guest  there.  I  have 
no  right  to  ask  you." 


178  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  am  sure  if  you  told  Squire  Rawdon  how 
fond  you  are  of  me,  and  how  lonely  I  am,  he 
would  tell  you  to  send  for  me." 

"  I  do  not  believe  he  would.  He  has  old- 
fashioned  ideas  about  newly  married  people. 
He  would  hardly  think  it  possible  that  you 
would  be  willing  to  go  anywhere  without 
Basil— yet" 

"  He  could  ask  Basil  too." 

11  If  Mr.  Mostyn  is  coming  home,  he  can 
ask  you  to  Mostyn  Hall.  It  is  very  near 
Bawdon  Court. ' ' 

"  Yes.  Fred  said  as  soon  as  he  had  pos 
session  of  the  Court  he  could  put  both  places 
into  a  ring  fence.  Then  he  would  live  at  the 
Court.  If  he  asks  us  there  next  summer  I 
shall  be  sure  to  beg  an  invitation  for  you  also ; 
so  I  think  you  might  deserve  it  by  getting  me 
one  now.  I  don't  want  to  go  to  Mostyn  yet. 
Fred  says  it  needs  entire  refurnishing,  and  if 
we  come  to  the  Court  next  summer,  I  have 
promised  to  give  him  my  advice  and  help  in 
making  the  place  pretty  and  up  to  date.  Have 
you  seen  Mostyn  Hall?  " 

"  I  have  passed  it  several  times.  It  is  a 
large,  gloomy-looking  place — I  was  going  to 
say  haunted-looking.  It  stands  in  a  grove  of 
yew  trees." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  179 

"  So  you  are  not  going  to  ask  me  to  Raw- 
don  Court?  " 

"  I  really  cannot,  Dora.  It  is  not  my 
house.  I  am  only  a  guest  there." 

"  Never  mind.  Make  no  more  excuses.  I 
see  how  it  is.  You  always  were  jealous  of 
Fred's  liking  for  me.  And  of  course  when 
he  goes  down  to  Mostyn  you  would  prefer  me 
to  be  absent." 

"  Good-by,  Dora!  I  have  a  deal  of  shop 
ping  to  do,  and  there  is  not  much  time  before 
the  ball,  for  many  things  will  be  to  make." 

"  The  ball!    What  ball?  " 

"  Only  one  at  Rawdon  Court.  The  neigh 
bors  have  been  exceedingly  kind  to  us,  and 
the  Squire  is  going  to  give  a  dinner  and  ball 
on  the  first  of  August." 

"  Sit  down  and  tell  me  about  the  neighbors 
—and  the  ball." 

"  I  cannot.  I  promised  Ruth  to  be  back  at 
five.  Our  modiste  is  to  see  us  at  that  hour." 

"  So  Ruth  is  with  you!  Why  did  she  not 
call  on  me?  ' 

"  Did  you  think  I  should  come  to  London 
alone?  And  Ruth  did  not  call  because  she 
was  too  busy." 

"  Everyone  and  everything  comes  before 
me  now.  I  used  to  be  first  of  all.  I  wish  I 


180  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

were  in  Newport  with  dad  and  mamma ;  even 
Bryce  would  be  a  comfort." 
"  As  I  said  before,  you  have  Mr.  Stanhope." 
"  Are  you  going  to  send  for  me  to  the 
ball?  " 

"  I  cannot  promise  that,  Dora.  Good-by." 
Dora  did  not  answer.  She  buried  her  face 
in  the  soft  pillow,  and  Ethel  closed  the  door 
to  the  sound  of  her  sobs.  But  they  did  not 
cause  her  to  return  or  to  make  any  foolish 
promises.  She  divined  their  insincerity  and 
their  motive,  and  had  no  mind  to  take  any 
part  in  forwarding  the  latter. 

And  Ruth  assured  her  she  had  acted  wisely. 
"  If  trouble  should  ever  come  of  this  friend 
ship,"  she  said,  "  Dora  would  very  likely 
complain  that  you  had  always  thrown  Mos- 
tyn  in  her  way,  brought  him  to  her  house  in 
New  York,  and  brought  her  to  him  at  Raw- 
don,  in  England.  Marriage  is  such  a  risk, 
Ethel,  but  to  marry  without  the  courage  to 
adapt  oneself.  Ah!  ' 

"  You  think  that  condition  unspeakably 
hard?" 

"  There  are  no  words  for  it." 
"  Dora  was  not  reticent,  I  assure  you." 
"I  am  sorry.    A  wife's  complaints  are  self- 
inflicted  wounds ;  scattered  seeds,  from  which 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  181 

only  misery  can  spring.  I  hope  you  will  not 
see  her  again  at  this  time." 

"  I  made  no  promise  to  do  so." 

"  And  where  all  is  so  uncertain,  we  had 
better  suppose  all  is  right  than  that  all  is 
wrong.  Even  if  there  was  the  beginning  of 
wrong,  it  needs  but  an  accident  to  prevent  it, 
and  there  are  so  many." 

"  Accidents!" 

"  Yes,  for  accident  is  God's  part  in  affairs. 
We  call  it  accident;  it  would  be  better  to  say 
an  interposition." 

"  Dora  told  me  Mostyn  intended  to  buy 
Rawdon  Court  in  September,  and  he  has  even 
invited  the  Stanhopes  to  stay  there  next  sum 


mer.' 


"  What  did  you  say?  ' 

"  Nothing  against  it." 

"  Very  good.  Do  you  think  Mostyn  is  in 
London  now?  ' 

"  I  should  not  wonder.  I  am  sure  Dora  is 
expecting  him." 

In  fact,  the  next  morning  they  met  Dora 
and  Basil  Stanhope,  driving  in  Hyde  Park 
with  Mostyn,  but  the  smiling  greeting  which 
passed  between  the  parties  did  not,  except  in 
the  case  of  Basil  Stanhope,  fairly  represent 
the  dominant  feeling  of  anyone.  As  for 


182  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

Stanhope,  his  nature  was  so  clear  and  truth 
ful  that  he  would  hardly  have  comprehended 
a  smile  which  was  intended  to  veil  feelings 
not  to  be  called  either  quite  friendly  or  quite 
pleasant.  After  this  meeting  all  the  joy  went 
out  of  Ruth  and  Ethel's  shopping.  They 
wanted  to  get  back  to  the  Court,  and  they 
attended  strictly  to  business  in  order  to  do  so. 
Mostyn  followed  them  very  quickly.  He 
was  exceedingly  anxious  to  see  and  hear  for 
himself  how  his  affairs  regarding  Rawdon 
stood.  They  were  easily  made  plain  to  him, 
and  he  saw  with  a  pang  of  disappointment 
that  all  his  hopes  of  being  Squire  of  Rawdon 
Manor  were  over.  Every  penny  he  could 
righteously  claim  was  paid  to  him,  and  on  the 
title  deeds  of  the  ancient  place  he  had  no 
longer  the  shadow  of  a  claim.  The  Squire 
looked  ten  years  younger  as  he  affectionately 
laid  both  hands  on  the  redeemed  parchments, 
and  Mostyn  with  enforced  politeness  con 
gratulated  him  on  their  integrity  and  then 
made  a  hurried  retreat.  Of  its  own  kind  this 
disappointment  was  as  great  as  the  loss  of 
Dora,  He  could  think  of  neither  without  a 
sense  of  immeasurable  and  disastrous  fail 
ure.  One  petty  satisfaction  regarding  the 
payment  of  the  mortgage  was  his  only  com- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  183 

fort.  He  might  now  show  McLean  that  it- 
was  not  want  of  money  that  had  made  him 
hitherto  shy  of  "  the  good  investments  "  of 
fered  him.  He  had  been  sure  McLean  in 
their  last  interview  had  thought  so,  and  had, 
indeed,  felt  the  half-veiled  contempt  with 
which  the  rich  young  man  had  expressed  his 
pity  for  Mostyn's  inability  to  take  advantage 
at  the  right  moment  of  an  exceptional  chance 
to  play  the  game  of  beggaring  his  neighbor. 
Now,  he  told  himself,  he  would  show  McLean 
and  his  braggart  set  that  good  birth  and  old 
family  was  for  once  allied  with  plenty  of 
money,  and  he  also  promised  his  wounded 
sensibilities  some  very  desirable  reprisals, 
every  one  of  which  he  felt  fully  competent 
to  take. 

It  was,  after  all,  a  poor  compensation,  but 
there  was  also  the  gold.  He  thanked  his 
father  that  day  for  the  great  thoughtfulness 
and  care  with  which  he  had  amassed  this 
sum  for  him,  and  he  tried  to  console  himself 
with  the  belief  that  gold  answered  all  pur 
poses,  and  that  the  yellow  metal  was  a  better 
possession  than  the  house  and  lands  which 
he  had  longed  for  with  an  inherited  and  in 
sensate  craving. 

Two  days  after  this  event  Ethel,  at  her 


184  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

father's  direction,  signed  a  number  of  pa 
pers,  and  when  that  duty  was  completed,  the 
Squire  rose  from  his  chair,  kissed  her  hands 
and  her  cheeks,  and  in  a  voice  full  of  tender 
ness  and  pride  said,  "  I  pay  my  respects  to 
the  future  lady  of  Rawdon  Manor,  and  I 
thank  God  for  permitting  me  to  see  this  hour. 
Most  welcome,  Lady  Ethel,  to  the  rights  you 
inherit,  and  the  rights  you  have  bought."  It 
was  a  moment  hardly  likely  to  be  duplicated 
in  any  life,  and  Ethel  escaped  from  its  tense 
emotions  as  soon  as  possible.  She  could  not 
speak,  her  heart  was  too  full  of  joy  and  won 
der.  There  are  souls  that  say  little  and  love 
much.  How  blessed  are  they ! 

On  the  following  morning  the  invitations 
were  sent  for  the  dinner  and  dance,  but  the 
time  was  put  forward  to  the  eighth  of  Au 
gust.  In  everyone's  heart  there  was  a  hope 
that  before  that  day  Mostyn  would  have  left 
Rawdon,  but  the  hope  was  barely  mentioned. 
In  the  meantime  he  came  and  went  between 
Mostyn  and  Rawdon  as  he  desired,  and  was 
received  with  that  modern  politeness  which 
considers  it  best  to  ignore  offenses  that  our 
grandfathers  and  grandmothers  would  have 
held  for  strict  account  and  punishment. 

It  was  evident  that  he  had  frequent  letters 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  185 

from  Dora.  He  knew  all  her  movements,  and 
spoke  several  times  of  opening  Mostyn  Hall 
and  inviting  the  Stanhopes  to  stay  with  him 
until  their  return  to  America.  But  as  this 
suggestion  did  not  bring  from  any  member  of 
the  Rawdon  family  the  invitation  hoped  for, 
it  was  not  acted  upon.  He  told  himself  the 
expense  would  be  great,  and  the  Hall,  in 
spite  of  all  he  could  do  in  the  interim,  would 
look  poor  and  shabby  compared  with  Rawdon 
Court;  so  he  put  aside  the  proposal  on  the 
ground  that  he  could  not  persuade  his  aunt 
to  do  the  entertaining  necessary.  And  for 
all  the  irritation  and  humiliations  centering 
round  his  loss  of  Rawdon  and  his  inabilities 
with  regard  to  Dora  he  blamed  Ethel.  He  was 
sure  if  he  had  been  more  lovable  and  encour 
aging  he  could  have  married  her,  and  thus 
finally  reached  Rawdon  Court ;  and  then,  with 
all  the  unreason  imaginable,  nursed  a  hearty 
dislike  to  her  because  she  would  not  under 
stand  his  desires,  and  provide  means  for  their 
satisfaction.  The  bright,  joyous  girl  with 
her  loving  heart,  her  abounding  vitality,  and 
constant  cheerfulness,  made  him  angry.  In 
none  of  her  excellencies  he  had  any  share, 
consequently  he  hated  her. 
He  would  have  quickly  returned  to  London, 


186  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

but  Dora  and  her  husband  were  staying  with 
the  Stanhopes,  and  her  letters  from  Stan 
hope  Castle  were  lachrymose  complaints  of 
the  utter  weariness  and  dreariness  of  life 
there — the  preaching  and  reading  aloud,  the 
regular  walking  and  driving — all  the  inno 
cent  method  of  lives  which  recognized  they 
were  here  for  some  higher  purpose  than  mere 
physical  enjoyment.  And  it  angered  Mostyn 
that  neither  Ruth  nor  Ethel  felt  any  sym 
pathy  for  Dora's  ennui,  and  proposed  no 
means  of  releasing  her  from  it.  He  consid 
ered  them  both  disgustingly  selfish  and  ill- 
natured,  and  was  certain  that  all  their  re 
luctance  at  Dora's  presence  arose  from  their 
jealousy  of  her  beauty  and  her  enchanting 
grace. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  preceding  the 
intended  entertainment  Ruth,  Ethel,  and  the 
Squire  were  in  the  great  dining-room  super 
intending  its  decoration.  They  were  merrily 
laughing  and  chatting,  and  were  not  aware 
of  the  arrival  of  any  visitors  until  Mrs. 
Nicholas  Rawdon's  rosy,  good-natured  face 
appeared  at  the  open  door.  Everyone  wel 
comed  her  gladly,  and  the  Squire  offered  her 
a  seat. 

"  Nay,  Squire,"  she  said,  "I'm  come  to 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  187 

ask  a  favor,  and  I  won't  sit  till  I  know 
whether  I  get  it  or  not;  for  if  I  don't  get  it, 
I  shall  say  good-by  as  quickly  as  I  can.  Our 
John  Thomas  came  home  this  morning  and 
his  friend  with  him,  and  I  want  invitations 
for  the  young  men,  both  of  them.  My  great 
pleasure  lies  that  way — if  you'll  give  it  to 


me.' 


"  Most  gladly,"  answered  the  Squire,  and 
Ethel  immediately  went  for  the  necessary 
passports.  When  she  returned  she  found 
Mrs.  Nicholas  helping  Ruth  and  the  Squire 
to  arrange  the  large  silver  and  cut  crystal  on 
the  sideboard,  and  talking  at  the  same  time 
with  unabated  vivacity. 

"  Yes,"  she  was  saying,  "  the  lads  would 
have  been  here  two  days  ago,  but  they  stayed 
in  London  to  see  some  American  lady  mar 
ried.  John  Thomas's  friend  knew  her.  She 
was  married  at  the  Ambassador's  house.  A 
fine  affair  enough,  but  it  bewilders  me  this 
taking  up  marriage  without  priest  or  book. 
It's  a  new  commission.  The  Church's  war 
rant,  it  seems,  is  out  of  date.  It  may  be  right, 
it  may  be  legal,  but  I  told  John  Thomas  if  he 
ever  got  himself  married  in  that  kind  of  a 
way,  he  wouldn't  have  father  or  me  for  wit 
nesses." 


188  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

"  I  am  glad,"  said  the  Squire,  "  that  the 
young  men  are  home  in  time  for  our  dance. 
The  young  like  such  things." 

"To  be  sure  they  do.  John  Thomas 
wouldn't  give  me  a  moment's  rest  till  I  came 
here.  I  didn't  want  to  come.  I  thought 
John  Thomas  should  come  himself,  and  I  told 
him  plainly  that  I  was  ready  to  do  anyone  a 
favor  if  I  could,  but  if  he  wanted  me  to  come 
because  he  was  afraid  to  come  himself,  I  was 
just  as  ready  to  shirk  the  journey.  And  he 
laughed  and  said  he  was  not  feared  for  any 
woman  living,  but  he  did  want  to  make  his 
first  appearance  in  his  best  clothes — and  that 
was  natural,  wasn't  it?  So  I  came  for  the 
two  lads."  Then  she  looked  at  the  girls  with 
a  smile,  and  said  in  a  comfortable  kind  of 
way:  "  You'll  find  them  very  nice  lads,  in 
deed.  I  can  speak  for  John  Thomas,  I  have 
taken  his  measure  long  since;  and  as  far  as 
I  can  judge  his  friend,  Nature  went  about 
some  full  work  when  she  made  a  man  of  him. 
He's  got  a  sweet  temper,  and  a  strong  mind, 
and  a  straight  judgment,  if  I  know  anything 
about  men — which  Nicholas  sometimes  makes 
me  think  I  don't.  But  Nicholas  isn't  an  or 
dinary  man,  he's  what  you  call  l  an  excep 
tion.'  "  Then  shaking  her  head  at  Ethel, 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  189 

she  continued  reprovingly:  "  You  were 
neither  of  you  in  church  Sunday.  I  know 
some  young  women  who  went  to  the  parish 
church — Methodists  they  are — specially  to 
see  your  new  hats.  There's  some  talk  about 
them,  I  can  tell  you,  and  the  village  milliner 
is  pestered  to  copy  them.  She  keeps  her  eyes 
open  for  you.  You  disappointed  a  lot  of  peo 
ple.  You  ought  to  go  to  church  in  the  coun 
try.  It's  the  most  respectable  thing  you  can 
do." 

"  We  were  both  very  tired,"  said  Ruth, 
"  and  the  sun  was  hot,  and  we  had  a  good 
Sabbath  at  home.  Ethel  read  the  Psalms, 
Epistle  and  Gospel  for  the  day,  and  the 
Squire  gave  us  some  of  the  grandest  organ 
music  I  ever  heard." 

"  Well,  well!  Everyone  knows  the  Squire 
is  a  grand  player.  I  don't  suppose  there  is 
another  to  match  him  in  the  whole  world, 
and  the  old  feeling  about  church-going  is 
getting  slack  among  the  young  people.  They 
nerve  God  now  very  much  at  their  ease." 

u  Is  not  that  better  than  serving  Him  on 
compulsion  1  "  asked  Ruth. 

"  I  dare  say.  I'm  no  bigot.  I  was  brought 
up  an  Independent,  and  went  to  their  chapel 
until  I  married  Nicholas  Rawdon.  My  fa- 


190  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

ther  was  a  broad-thinking  man.  He  never 
taught  me  to  locate  God  in  any  building ;  and 
I'm  sure  I  don't  believe  our  parish  church 
is  His  dwelling-place.  If  it  is,  they  ought  to 
mend  the  roof  and  put  a  new  carpet  down 
and  make  things  cleaner  and  more  respect 
able.  Well,  Squire,  you  have  silver  enough 
to  tempt  all  the  rogues  in  Yorkshire,  and 
there's  a  lot  of  them.  But  now  I've  seen  it, 
I'll  go  home  with  these  bits  of  paper.  I  shall 
be  a  very  important  woman  to-night.  Them 
two  lads  won't  know  how  to  fleech  and  flatter 
me  enough.  I'll  be  waited  on  hand  and  foot. 
And  Nicholas  will  get  a  bit  of  a  set-down. 
He  was  bragging  about  Miss  Ethel  bringing 
his  invitation  to  his  hand  and  promising  to 
dance  with  him.  I  wouldn't  do  it  if  I  were 
Miss  Ethel.  She'll  find  out,  if  she  does,  what 
it  means  to  dance  with  a  man  that  weighs 
twenty  stone,  and  who  has  never  turned  hand 
nor  foot  to  anything  but  money-making  for 
thirty  years." 

She  went  away  with  a  sweep  and  a  rustle 
of  her  shimmering  silk  skirt,  and  left  behind 
her  such  an  atmosphere  of  hearty  good-na 
ture  as  made  the  last  rush  and  crowd  of 
preparations  easily  ordered  and  quickly  ac 
complished.  Before  her  arrival  there  had 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  191 

been  some  doubt  as  to  the  weather.  She 
brought  the  shining  sun  with  her,  and  when 
he  set,  he  left  them  with  the  promise  of  a 
splendid  to-morrow — a  promise  amply  re 
deemed  when  the  next  day  dawned.  Indeed, 
the  sunshine  was  so  brilliant,  the  garden  so 
gay  and  sweet,  the  lawn  so  green  and  firm, 
the  avenues  so  shady  and  full  of  wandering 
songs,  that  it  was  resolved  to  hold  the  pre 
liminary  reception  out  of  doors.  Ethel  and 
Ruth  were  to  receive  on  the  lawn,  and  at  the 
open  hall  door  the  Squire  would  wait  to  wel 
come  his  guests. 

Soon  after  five  o'clock  there  was  a  brilliant 
crowd  wandering  and  resting  in  the  pleasant 
spaces;  and  Ethel,  wearing  a  diaphanously 
white  robe  and  carrying  a  rush  basket  full 
of  white  carnations,  was  moving  among  them 
distributing  the  flowers.  She  was  thus  the 
center  of  a  little  laughing,  bantering  group 
when  the  Nicholas  Rawdon  party  arrived. 
Nicholas  remained  with  the  Squire,  Mrs. 
Rawdon  and  the  young  men  went  toward 
Ethel.  Mrs.  Rawdon  made  a  very  handsome 
appearance — "  an  aristocratic  Britannia  in 
white  liberty  silk  and  old  lace,"  whispered 
Ruth,  and  Ethel  looked  up  quickly,  to  meet 
her  merry  eyes  full  of  some  unexplained 


192  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

triumph.  In  truth,  the  proud  mother  was 
anticipating  a  great  pleasure,  not  only  in  the 
presentation  of  her  adored  son,  but  also  in 
the  curiosity  and  astonishment  she  felt  sure 
would  be  evoked  by  his  friend.  So,  with  the 
boldness  of  one  who  brings  happy  tidings, 
she  pressed  forward.  Ethel  saw  her  ap 
proach,  and  went  to  meet  her.  Suddenly  her 
steps  were  arrested.  An  extraordinary  thing 
was  going  to  happen.  The  Apollo  of  her 
dreams,  the  singer  of  the  Holland  House 
pavement,  was  at  Mrs.  Rawdon 's  side,  was 
talking  to  her,  was  evidently  a  familiar 
friend.  She  was  going  to  meet  him,  to  speak 
to  him  at  last.  She  would  hear  his  name  in 
a  few  moments;  all  that  she  had  hoped  and 
believed  was  coming  true.  And  the  clear, 
resonant  voice  of  Lydia  Rawdon  was  like 
music  in  her  ears  as  she  said,  with  an  air  of 
triumph  she  could  not  hide: 

"  Miss  Rawdon,  I  want  you  to  know  my 
son,  Mr.  John  Thomas  Rawdon,  and  also 
John  Thomas's  cousin,  Mr.  Tyrrel  Rawdon, 
of  the  United  States."  Then  Mr.  Tyrrel 
Rawdon  looked  into  Ethel's  face,  and  in  that 
marvelous  meeting  of  their  eyes,  swift  as  the 
firing  of  a  gun,  their  pupils  dilated  and 
flashed  with  recognition,  and  the  blood  rushed 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  193 

crimson  over  both  faces.  She  gave  the  gen 
tlemen  flowers,  and  listened  to  Mrs.  Kaw- 
don's  chatter,  and  said  in  reply  she  knew  not 
what.  A  swift  and  exquisite  excitement  had 
followed  her  surprise.  Feelings  she  could 
not  voice  were  beating  at  her  lips,  and  yet 
she  knew  that  without  her  conscious  will  she 
had  expressed  her  astonishment  and  pleas 
ure.  It  was,  indeed,  doubtful  whether  any 
after  speech  or  explanation  would  as  clearly 
satisfy  both  hearts  as  did  that  momentary 
flash  from  soul  to  soul  of  mutual  remembrance 
and  interest. 

"  I  thought  I'd  give  you  a  surprise,"  said 
Mrs.  Rawdon  delightedly.  "  You  didn't 
know  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons  had  a  branch  in 
America,  did  you?  We  are  a  bit  proud  of 
them,  I  can  tell  you  that." 

And,  indeed,  the  motherly  lady  had  some 
reason.  John  Thomas  was  a  handsome  youth 
of  symmetrical  bone  and  flesh  and  well-devel 
oped  muscle.  He  had  clear,  steady,  humorous 
eyes;  a  manner  frank  and  independent,  not 
to  be  put  upon ;  and  yet  Ethel  divined,  though 
she  could  not  have  declared,  the  "  want  "  in  his 
appearance — that  all-overish  grace  and  elas 
ticity  which  comes  only  from  the  development 
of  the  brain  and  nervous  system.  His  face 


194  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

was  also  marred  by  the  seal  of  commonness 
which  trade  impresses  on  so  many  men,  the  re 
sult  of  the  subjection  of  the  intellect  to  the 
will,  and  of  the  impossibility  of  grasping  things 
except  as  they  relate  to  self.  In  this  respect 
the  American  cousin  was  his  antipodes.  His 
whole  body  had  a  psychical  expression — slim, 
elastic,  alert.  Over  his  bright  gray  eyes  the 
eyelids  drew  themselves  horizontally,  show 
ing  his  dexterity  and  acuteness  of  mind;  in 
deed,  his  whole  expression  and  mien 

"  Were,  as  are  the  eagle's  keen, 
All  the  man  was  aquiline." 

These  personal  characteristics  taking  some 
minutes  to  describe  were  almost  an  instan 
taneous  revelation  to  Ethel,  for  what  the  soul 
sees  it  sees  in  a  flash  of  understanding.  But 
at  that  time  she  only  answered  her  impres 
sions  without  any  inquiry  concerning  them. 
She  was  absorbed  by  the  personal  presence  of 
the  men,  and  all  that  was  lovely  and  lovable 
in  her  nature  responded  to  their  admiration. 

As  they  strolled  together  through  a  flowery 
alley,  she  made  them  pass  their  hands  through 
the  thyme  and  lavender,  and  listen  to  a  bird 
singing  its  verses,  loud  and  then  soft,  in  the 
scented  air  above  them.  They  came  out  where 


'  THE   MAN  BETWEEN  195 

the  purple  plums  and  golden  apricots  were 
beginning  to  brighten  a  southern  wall,  and 
there,  moodily  walking  by  himself,  they  met 
Mostyn  face  to  face.  An  angry  flash  and 
movement  interpreted  his  annoyance,  but  he 
immediately  recovered  himself,  and  met  Ethel 
and  his  late  political  opponent  with  polite 
equanimity.  But  a  decided  constraint  fell  on 
the  happy  party,  and  Ethel  was  relieved  to 
hear  the  first  tones  of  the  great  bell  swing 
out  from  its  lofty  tower  the  call  to  the  din 
ing-room. 

As  far  as  Mostyn  was  concerned,  this  first 
malapropos  meeting  indicated  the  whole 
evening.  His  heart  was  beating  quickly  to 
some  sense  of  defeat  which  he  did  not  take 
the  trouble  to  analyze.  He  only  saw  the  man 
who  had  shattered  his  political  hopes  and 
wasted  his  money  in  possession  also  of  what 
he  thought  he  might  rightly  consider  his 
place  at  Ethel's  side.  He  had  once  contem 
plated  making  Ethel  his  bride,  and  though 
the  matrimonial  idea  had  collapsed  as  com 
pletely  as  the  political  one,  the  envious,  self 
ish  misery  of  the  "  dog  in  the  manger  "  was 
eating  at  his  heartstrings.  He  did  not  want 
Ethel;  but  oh,  how  he  hated  the  thought  of 
either  John  Thomas  or  that  American  Eaw- 


196  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

don  winning  her!  His  seat  at  the  dinner- 
table  also  annoyed  him.  It  was  far  enough 
from  the  objects  of  his  resentment  to  prevent 
him  hearing  or  interfering  in  their  merry 
conversation;  and  he  told  himself  with  pas 
sionate  indignation  that  Ethel  had  never  once 
in  all  their  intercourse  been  so  beautiful  and 
bright  as  she  revealed  herself  that  evening 
to  those  two  Rawdon  youths — one  a  mere 
loom-master,  the  other  an  American  whom 
no  one  knew  anything  about. 

The  long,  bewitching  hours  of  the  glorious 
evening  added  fuel  to  the  flame  of  his  anger. 
He  could  only  procure  from  Ethel  the  prom 
ise  of  one  unimportant  dance  at  the  close  of 
her  programme ;  and  the  American  had  three 
dances,  and  the  mere  loom-man  two.  And 
though  he  attempted  to  restore  his  self-com 
placency  by  devoting  his  whole  attentions 
to  the  only  titled  young  ladies  in  the  room,  he 
had  throughout  the  evening  a  sense  of  being 
snubbed,  and  of  being  a  person  no  longer  of 
much  importance  at  Rawdon  Court.  And  the 
reasoning  of  wounded  self-love  is  a  singular 
process.  Mostyn  was  quite  oblivious  of  any 
personal  cause  for  the  change;  he  attributed 
it  entirely  to  the  Squire's  ingratitude. 

"  I  did  the  Squire  a  good  turn  when  he 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  197 

needed  it,  and  of  course  he  hates  me  for  the 
obligation;  and  as  for  the  Judge  and  his  fine 
daughter,  they  interfered  with  my  business 
— did  me  a  great  wrong — and  they  are  only 
illustrating  the  old  saying,  i  Since  I  wronged 
you  I  never  liked  you.'  After  indulging 
such  thoughts  awhile,  he  resolved  to  escort 
the  ladies  Aurelia  and  Isolde  Danvers  to 
Danvers  Castle,  and  leave  Miss  Ethel  to  find 
a  partner  for  her  last  dance,  a  decision  that 
favored  John  Thomas,  greatly  relieved  Ethel, 
and  bestowed  upon  himself  that  most  irritat 
ing  of  all  punishments,  a  self-inflicted  dis 
appointment. 

This  evening  was  the  inauguration  of  a 
period  of  undimmed  delight.  In  it  the  Tyr- 
rel-Rawdons  concluded  a  firm  and  affection 
ate  alliance  with  the  elder  branch  at  the 
Court,  and  one  day  after  a  happy  family  din 
ner  John  Thomas  made  the  startling  pro 
posal  that  "  the  portrait  of  the  disinherited, 
disowned  Tyrrel  should  be  restored  to  its 
place  in  the  family  gallery."  He  said  he  had 
"  just  walked  through  it,  and  noticed  that 
the  spot  was  still  vacant,  and  I  think  surely," 
he  added,  "  the  young  man's  father  must 
have  meant  to  recall  him  home  some  day,  but 
perhaps  death  took  him  unawares. ' ' 


198  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

"  Died  in  the  hunting-field,"  murmured  the 
Squire. 

John  Thomas  bowed  his  head  to  the  remark, 
and  proceeded,  "  So  perhaps,  Squire,  it  may 
be  in  your  heart  to  forgive  the  dead,  and 
bring  back  the  poor  lad's  picture  to  its  place. 
They  who  sin  for  love  aren't  so  bad,  sir,  as 
they  who  sin  for  money.  I  never  heard  worse 
of  Tyrrel  Rawdon  than  that  he  loved  a  poor 
woman  instead  of  a  rich  woman — and  mar 
ried  her.  Those  that  have  gone  before  us  into 
the  next  life,  I  should  think  are  good  friends 
together;  and  I  wouldn't  wonder  if  we  might 
even  make  them  happier  there  if  we  conclude 
to  forget  all  old  wrongs  and  live  together 
here — as  Rawdons  ought  to  live — like  one 
family. ' ' 

"  I  am  of  your  opinion,  John  Thomas," 
said  the  Squire,  rising,  and  as  he  did  so  he 
looked  at  the  Judge,  who  immediately  in 
dorsed  the  proposal.  One  after  the  other 
rose  with  sweet  and  strong  assent,  until  there 
was  only  Tyrrel  Rawdon 's  voice  lacking. 
But  when  all  had  spoken  he  rose  also,  and 
said: 

11  I  am  Tyrrel  Rawdon's  direct  descendant, 
and  I  speak  for  him  when  I  say  to-day, '  Make 


THE  MAN"  BETWEEN  199 

room  for  me  among  my  kindred!  '  He  that 
loves  much  may  be  forgiven  much. ' ' 

Then  the  housekeeper  was  called,  and  they 
went  slowly,  with  soft  words,  up  to  the  third 
story  of  the  house.  And  the  room  unused 
for  a  century  was  flung  wide  open;  the  shut 
ters  were  unbarred,  and  the  sunshine  flooded 
it;  and  there  amid  his  fishing  tackle,  guns, 
and  whips,  and  faded  ballads  upon  the  wall, 
and  books  of  wood  lore  and  botany,  and  dress 
suits  of  velvet  and  satin,  and  hunting  suits 
of  scarlet — all  faded  and  falling  to  pieces — 
stood  the  picture  of  Tyrrel  Rawdon,  with  its 
face  turned  to  the  wall.  The  Squire  made  a 
motion  to  his  descendant,  and  the  young 
American  tenderly  turned  it  to  the  light. 
There  was  no  decay  on  those  painted  linea 
ments.  The  almost  boyish  face,  with  its  lov 
ing  eyes  and  laughing  mouth,  was  still  twenty- 
four  years  old;  and  with  a  look  of  pride  and 
affection  the  Squire  lifted  the  picture  and 
placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the  Tyrrel  Rawdon 
of  the  day. 

The  hanging  of  the  picture  in  its  old  place 
was  a  silent  and  tender  little  ceremony,  and 
after  it  the  party  separated.  Mrs.  Rawdon 
went  with  Ruth  to  rest  a  little.  She  said 
"  she  had  a  headache,"  and  she  also  wanted 


200  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

a  good  womanly  talk  over  the  affair.  The 
Squire,  Judge  Rawdon,  Mr.  Nicholas  Raw- 
don,  and  John  Thomas  returned  to  the  dining- 
room  to  drink  a  bottle  of  such  mild  Madeira 
as  can  only  now  be  found  in  the  cellars  of 
old  county  magnates,  and  Ethel  and  Tyrrel 
Rawdon  strolled  into  the  garden.  There  had 
not  been  in  either  mind  any  intention  of 
leaving  the  party,  but  as  they  passed  through 
the  hall  Tyrrel  saw  Ethel's  garden  hat  and 
white  parasol  lying  on  a  table,  and,  impelled 
by  some  sudden  and  unreasoned  instinct,  he 
offered  them  to  her.  Not  a  word  of  request 
was  spoken ;  it  was  the  eager,  passionate  com 
mand  of  his  eyes  she  obeyed.  And  for  a  few 
minutes  they  were  speechless,  then  so  intensely 
conscious  that  words  stumbled  and  were 
lame,  and  they  managed  only  syllables  at  a 
time.  But  he  took  her  hand,  and  they  came 
by  sunny  alleys  of  boxwood  to  a  great  plane 
tree,  bearing  at  wondrous  height  a  mighty 
wealth  of  branches.  A  bank  of  soft,  green 
turf  encircled  its  roots,  and  they  sat  down  in 
the  trembling  shadows.  It  was  in  the  midst 
of  the  herb  garden ;  beds  of  mint  and  thyme, 
rosemary  and  marjoram,  basil,  lavender,  and 
other  fragrant  plants  were  around,  and  close 
at  hand  a  little  city  of  straw  skeps  peopled 


: 


He  took  from  his  pocket  a  little  purse  and  held  it  in  his  open 
hand  for  her  to  see."     Page  201. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  201 

by  golden  brown  bees.  From  these  skeps 
came  a  delicious  aroma  of  rifled  flowers  and 
virgin  wax.  It  was  a  new  Garden  of  Eden5 
in  which  life  was  sweet  as  perfume  and  pure 
as  prayer.  Nothing  stirred  the  green,  sunny 
afternoon  but  the  murmur  of  the  bees,  and 
the  sleepy  twittering  of  the  birds  in  the  plane 
branches.  An  inexpressible  peace  swept  like 
the  breath  of  heaven  through  the  odorous 
places.  They  sat  down  sighing  for  very  hap 
piness.  The  silence  became  too  eloquent.  At 
length  it  was  almost  unendurable,  and  Ethel 
said  softly: 

"  How  still  it  is!  " 

Tyrrel  looked  at  her  steadily  with  beaming 
eyes.  Then  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  little 
purse  of  woven  gold  and  opal-tinted  beads, 
and  held  it  in  his  open  hand  for  her  to  see, 
watching  the  bright  blush  that  spread  over 
her  face,  and  the  faint,  glad  smile  that  parted 
her  lips. 

"  You  understand?  " 

"  Yes.    It  is  mine." 

"  It  was  yours0    It  is  now  mine." 

"  How  did  you  get  it?  " 

"  I  bought  it  from  the  old  man  you  gave 
it  to." 


202  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

"  Oh!  Then  you  know  him?  How  is 
that?" 

"  The  hotel  people  sent  a  porter  home  with 
him  lest  he  should  be  robbed.  Next  day  I  made 
inquiries,  and  this  porter  told  me  where  he 
lived.  I  went  there  and  bought  this  purse 
from  him.  I  knew  some  day  it  would  bring 
me  to  you.  I  have  carried  it  over  my  heart 
ever  since." 

"  So  you  noticed  me?  r 

"  I  saw  you  all  the  time  I  was  singing.  I 
have  never  forgotten  you  since  that  hour." 

"  What  made  you  sing.?  ' 

"  Compassion,  fate,  an  urgent  impulse; 
perhaps,  indeed,  your  piteous  face — I  saw  it 
first." 

"  Eeally?  " 

"  I  saw  it  first.  I  saw  it  all  the  time  I  was 
singing.  When  you  dropped  this  purse  my 
soul  met  yours  in  a  moment 's  greeting.  It  was 
a  promise.  I  knew  I  should  meet  you  again. 
I  have  loved  you  ever  since.  I  wanted  to  tell 
you  so  the  hour  we  met.  It  has  been  hard  to 
keep  my  secret  so  long." 

"  It  was  my  secret  also." 

"  I  love  you  beyond  all  words.  My  life  is 
in  your  hands.  You  can  make  me  the  gladdest 
of  mortals.  You  can  send  me  away  forever." 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  203 

"  Oh,  no,  I  could  not!  I  could  not  do 
that!  "  The  rest  escapes  words;  but  thus  it 
was  that  on  this  day  of  days  these  two  came 
by  God's  grace  to  each  other. 

For  all  things  come  by  fate  to  flower, 
At  their  unconquerable  hour. 

And  the  very  atmosphere  of  such  bliss  is 
diffusive;  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  living  crea 
tures  around  understood.  In  the  thick,  green 
branches  the  birds  began  to  twitter  the  secret, 
and  certainly  the  wise,  wise  bees  knew  also, 
in  some  occult  way,  of  the  love  and  joy  that 
had  just  been  revealed.  A  wonderful  hum 
ming  and  buzzing  filled  the  hives,  and  the  air 
vibrated  with  the  movement  of  wings.  Some 
influence  more  swift  and  secret  than  the  birds 
of  the  air  carried  the  matter  further,  for  it 
finally  reached  Royal,  the  Squire's  favorite 
collie,  who  came  sauntering  down  the  alley, 
pushed  his  nose  twice  under  Ethel's  elbow, 
and  then  with  a  significant  look  backward, 
advised  the  lovers  to  follow  him  to  the  house. 

When  they  finally  accepted  his  invitation, 
they  found  Mrs.  Rawdon  drinking  a  cup  of 
tea  with  Ruth  in  the  hall.  Ethel  joined  them 
with  affected  high  spirits  and  random  ex 
planations  and  excuses,  but  both  women  no- 


204  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

ticed  her  radiant  face  and  exulting  air. 
"  The  garden  is  such  a  heavenly  place,"  she 
said  ecstatically,  and  Mrs  Rawdon  remarked, 
as  she  rose  and  put  her  cup  on  the  table, 
"  Girls  need  chaperons  in  gardens  if  they 
need  them  anywhere.  I  made  Nicholas  Raw- 
don  a  promise  in  Mossgill  Garden  I've  had  to 
spend  all  my  life  since  trying  to  keep." 

"  Tyrrel  and  I  have  been  sitting  under  the 
plane  tree  watching  the  bees.  They  are  such 
busy,  sensible  creatures." 

"  They  are  that,"  answered  Mrs.  Rawdon. 
"  If  you  knew  all  about  them  you  would 
wonder  a  bit.  My  father  had  a  great  many; 
he  studied  their  ways  and  used  to  laugh  at 
the  ladies  of  the  hive  being  so  like  the  ladies 
of  the  world.  You  see  the  young  lady  bees 
are  just  as  inexperienced  as  a  schoolgirl. 
They  get  lost  in  the  flowers,  and  are  often  so 
overtaken  and  reckless,  that  the  night  finds 
them  far  from  the  hive,  heavy  with  pollen 
and  chilled  with  cold.  Sometimes  father 
would  lift  one  of  these  imprudent  young 
things,  carry  it  home,  and  try  to  get  it  ad 
mitted.  He  never  could  manage  it.  The  lady 
bees  acted  just  as  women  are  apt  to  do  when 
other  women  go  where  they  don't  go,  or  do 
as  they  don't  do." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  205 

"  But  this  is  interesting,"  said  Ruth. 
"  Pray,  how  did  the  ladies  of  the  hive  be 
have  to  the  culprit?  " 

"  They  came  out  and  felt  her  all  over, 
turned  her  round  and  round,  and  then  pushed 
her  out  of  their  community.  There  was  al 
ways  a  deal  of  buzzing  about  the  poor,  silly 
thing,  and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  their  stings 
were  busy  too.  Bees  are  ill-natured  as  they 
can  be.  Well,  well,  I  don't  blame  anyone  for 
sitting  in  the  garden  such  a  day  as  this ;  only, 
as  I  was  saying,  gardens  have  been  very  dan 
gerous  places  for  women  as  far  as  I  know. ' ' 

Ruth  laughed  softly.  "  I  shall  take  a 
chaperon  with  me,  then,  when  I  go  into  the 
garden." 

"  I  would,  dearie.  There's  the  Judge;  he's 
a  very  suitable,  sedate-looking  one — but  you 
never  can  tell.  The  first  woman  found  in  a 
garden  and  a  tree  had  plenty  of  sorrow  for 
herself  and  every  woman  that  has  lived  after 
her.  I  wish  Nicholas  and  John  Thomas 
would  come.  I'll  warrant  they're  talking 
what  they  Call  politics." 

Politics  was  precisely  the  subject  which 
had  been  occupying  them,  for  when  Tyrrel 
entered  the  dining-room,  the  Squire,  Judge 
Rawdon,  and  Mr.  Nicholas  Rawdon  were  all 


206  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

standing,  evidently  just  finishing  a  Conserva 
tive  argument  against  the  Radical  opinions 
of  John  Thomas.  The  young  man  was  still 
sitting,  but  he  rose  with  smiling  good-humor 
as  Tyrrel  entered. 

"  Here  is  Cousin  Tyrrel,"  he  cried;  "  he 
will  tell  you  that  you  may  call  a  government 
anything  you  like — radical,  conservative,  re 
publican,  democratic,  socialistic,  but  if  it 
isn't  a  cheap  government,  it  isn't  a  good  gov 
ernment;  and  there  won't  be  a  cheap  govern 
ment  in  England  till  poor  men  have  a  deal  to 
say  about  making  laws  and  voting  taxes." 

"  Is  that  the  kind  of  stuff  you  talk  to  our 
hands,  John  Thomas?  No  wonder  they  are 
neither  to  hold  nor  to  bind." 

They  were  in  the  hall  as  John  Thomas  fin 
ished  his  political  creed,  and  in  a  few  min 
utes  the  adieux  were  said,  and  the  wonderful 
day  was  over.  It  had  been  a  wonderful  day 
for  all,  but  perhaps  no  one  was  sorry  for  a 
pause  in  life — a  pause  in  which  they  might 
rest  and  try  to  realize  what  it  had  brought 
and  what  it  had  taken  away.  The  Squire  went 
at  once  to  his  room,  and  Ethel  looked  at  Ruth 
inquiringly.  She  seemed  exhausted,  and  was 
out  of  sympathy  with  all  her  surroundings. 

"  What  enormous  vitality  these  Yorkshire 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  207 

women  must  have!  "  she  said  almost  crossly. 
"  Mrs.  Eawdon  has  been  talking  incessantly 
for  six  hours.  She  has  felt  all  she  said.  She 
has  frequently  risen  and  walked  about.  She 
has  used  all  sorts  of  actions  to  emphasize  her 
words,  and  she  is  as  fresh  as  if  she  had  just 
taken  her  morning  bath.  How  do  the  men 
stand  them?  " 

"  Because  they  are  just  as  vital.  John 
Thomas  will  overlook  and  scold  and  order 
his  thousand  hands  all  day,  talk  even  his 
mother  down  while  he  eats  his  dinner,  and 
then  lecture  or  lead  his  Musical  Union,  or 
conduct  a  poor  man's  concert,  or  go  to  '  the 
"Weaver's  Union,'  and  what  he  calls  i  threep 
them  '  for  two  or  three  hours  that  labor  is 
ruining  capital,  and  killing  the  goose  that 
lays  golden  eggs  for  them.  Oh,  they  are  a 
wonderful  race,  Ruth!  " 

"  I  really  can't  discuss  them  now,  Ethel." 

"  Don't  you  want  to  know  what  Tyrrel  said 
to  me  this  afternoon?  " 

"  My  dear,  I  know.  Lovers  have  said  such 
things  before,  and  lovers  will  say  them  ever 
more.  You  shall  tell  me  in  the  morning.  I 
thought  he  looked  distrait  and  bored  with  our 
company." 

Indeed,   Tyrrel  was  so  remarkably  quiet 


208  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

that  John  Thomas  also  noticed  his  mood,  and 
as  they  sat  smoking  in  Tyrrel's  room,  he  re 
solved  to  find  out  the  reason,  and  with  his 
usual  directness  asked: 

"  What  do  you  think  of  Ethel  Eawdon, 
Tyrrel?  " 

"  I  think  she  is  the  most  beautiful  woman 
I  ever  saw.  She  has  also  the  most  sincere 
nature,  and  her  high  spirit  is  sweetly  tem 
pered  by  her  affectionate  heart. ' ' 

"  I  am  glad  you  know  so  much  about  her. 
Look  here,  Cousin  Tyrrel,  I  fancied  to-night 
you  were  a  bit  jealous  of  me.  It  is  easy  to 
see  you  are  in  love,  and  I've  no  doubt  you 
were  thinking  of  the  days  when  you  would  be 
thousands  of  miles  away,  and  I  should  have 
the  ground  clear  and  so  on,  eh?  ' 

"  Suppose  I  was,  cousin,  what  then?  '; 

"  You  would  be  worrying  for  nothing.  I 
don't  want  to  marry  Ethel  Eawdon.  If  I 
did,  you  would  have  to  be  on  the  ground  all 
the  time,  and  then  I  should  best  you;  but  I 
picked  out  my  wife  two  years  ago,  and  if  we 
are  both  alive  and  well,  we  are  going  to  be 
married  next  Christmas." 

"  I  am  delighted.    I " 

"  I  thought  you  would  be." 

"  Who  is  the  young  lady?  " 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  209 

"  Miss  Lucy  Watson.  Her  father  is  the 
Independent  minister.  He  is  a  gentleman, 
though  his  salary  is  less  than  we  give  our 
overseer.  And  he  is  a  great  scholar.  So  is 
Lucy.  She  finished  her  course  at  college  this 
summer,  and  with  high  honors.  Bless  you, 
Tyrrel,  she  knows  far  more  than  I  do  about 
everything  but  warps  and  looms  and  such 
like.  I  admire  a  clever  woman,  and  I'm 
proud  of  Lucy." 

"  Where  is  she  now?  ' 

"  Well,  she  was  a  bit  done  up  with  so  much 
study,  and  so  she  went  to  Scarborough  for  a 
few  weeks.  She  has  an  aunt  there.  The  sea 
breezes  and  salt  water  soon  made  her  fit  for 
anything.  She  may  be  home  very  soon  now. 
Then,  Tyrrel,  you'll  see  a  beauty — face  like 
a  rose,  hair  brown  as  a  nut,  eyes  that  make 
your  heart  go  galloping,  the  most  enticing 
mouth,  the  prettiest  figure,  and  she  loves  me 
with  all  her  heart.  When  she  says  i  John 
Thomas,  dear  one,'  I  fremble  with  pleasure, 
and  when  she  lets  me  kiss  her  sweet  mouth, 
I  really  don't  know  where  I  am.  What  would 
you  say  if  a  girl  whispered,  '  I  love  you,  and 
nobody  but  you,'  and  gave  you  a  kiss  that  was 
like — like  wine  and  roses?  Now  what  would 
you  say?  " 


210  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  know  as  little  as  you  do  what  I  would 
say.  It's  a  situation  to  make  a  man  coin  new 
words.  I  suppose  your  family  are  pleased." 

"  Well,  I  never  thought  about  my  family 
till  I  had  Lucy's  word.  Then  I  told  mother. 
She  knew  Lucy  all  through.  Mother  has  a 
great  respect  for  Independents,  and  though 
father  sulked  a  bit  at  first,  mother  had  it  out 
with  him  one  night,  and  when  mother  has  fa 
ther  quiet  in  their  room  father  comes  to  see 
things  just  as  she  wants  him.  I  suppose 
that's  the  way  with  wives.  Lucy  will  be  just 
like  that.  She's  got  a  sharp  little  temper,  too. 
She'll  let  me  have  a  bit  of  it,  no  doubt,  now 
and  then." 

"Will  you  like  that?" 

"  I  wouldn't  care  a  farthing  for  a  wife  with 
out  a  bit  of  temper.  There  would  be  no  fun 
in  living  with  a  woman  of  that  kind.  My  fa 
ther  would  droop  and  pine  if  mother  didn't 
spur  him  on  now  and  then.  And  he  likes  it. 
Don't  I  know?  I've  seen  mother  snappy  and 
awkward  with  him  all  breakfast  time,  tossing 
her  head,  and  rattling  the  china,  and  declaring 
she  was  worn  out  with  men  that  let  all  the 
good  bargains  pass  them ;  perhaps  making  fun 
of  us  because  we  couldn't  manage  to  get  along 
without  strikes.  She  had  no  strikes  with  her 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  211 

hands,  she'd  like  to  see  her  women  stand  up 
and  talk  to  her  about  shorter  hours,  and  so  on ; 
and  father  would  look  at  me  sly-like,  and  as 
we  walked  to  the  mill  together  he'd  laugh  con 
tentedly  and  say, '  Your  mother  was  quite  re 
freshing  this  morning,  John  Thomas.  She  has 
keyed  me  up  to  a  right  pitch.  When  Jonathan 
Arkroyd  comes  about  that  wool  he  sold  us  I'll 
be  all  ready  for  him.'  So  you  see  I'm  not 
against  a  sharp  temper.  I  like  women  as  Ten 
nyson  says  English  girls  are, i  roses  set  round 
with  little  wilful  thorns,'  eh?  ' 

Unusual  as  this  conversation  was,  its  gen 
eral  tone  was  assumed  by  Ethel  in  her  con 
fidential  talk  with  Ruth  the  following  day.  Of 
course,  Euth  was  not  at  all  surprised  at  the 
news  Ethel  brought  her,  for  though  the  lovers 
had  been  individually  sure  they  had  betrayed 
their  secret  to  no  one,  it  had  really  been  an 
open  one  to  Ruth  since  the  hour  of  their  meet 
ing.  She  was  sincerely  ardent  in  her  praises 
of  Tyrrel  Rawdon,  but — and  there  is  always  a 
but — she  wondered  if  Ethel  had  "  noticed  what 
a  quick  temper  he  had. ' ' 

16  Oh,  yes,"  answered  Ethel,  "  I  should  not 
like  him  not  to  have  a  quick  temper.  I  expect 
my  husband  to  stand  up  at  a  moment's  notice 
for  either  mine  or  his  own  rights  or  opinions." 


212  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

And  in  the  afternoon  when  all  preliminaries 
had  been  settled  and  approved,  Judge  Raw- 
don  expressed  himself  in  the  same  manner  to 
Ruth.  "  Yes,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  her  timid 
suggestion  of  temper,  "  you  can  strike  fire 
anywhere  with  him  if  you  try  it,  but  he  has 
it  under  control.  Besides,  Ethel  is  just  as 
quick  to  flame  up.  It  will  be  Rawdon  against 
Rawdon,  and  Ethel's  weapons  are  of  finer, 
keener  steel  than  TyrrePs.  Ethel  will  hold 
her  own.  It  is  best  so." 

11  How  did  the  Squire  feel  about  such  a 
marriage?  ' 

"  He  was  quite  overcome  with  delight. 
Nothing  was  said  to  Tyrrel  about  Ethel  hav 
ing  bought  the  reversion  of  Rawdon  Manor, 
for  things  have  been  harder  to  get  into  proper 
shape  than  I  thought  they  would  be,  and  it 
may  be  another  month  before  all  is  finally 
settled;  but  the  Squire  has  the  secret  satis 
faction,  and  he  was  much  affected  by  the  cer 
tainty  of  a  Rawdon  at  Rawdon  Court  after 
him.  He  declined  to  think  of  it  in  any  other 
way  but  '  providential/  and  of  course  I  let 
him  take  all  the  satisfaction  he  could  out  of 
the  idea.  Ever  since  he  heard  of  the  engage 
ment  he  has  been  at  the  organ  singing  the 
One  Hundred  and  Third  Psalm." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN"  213 

"  He  is  the  dearest  and  noblest  of  men. 
How  soon  shall  we  go  home  now?  ' 

"  In  about  a  month.  Are  you  tired  of  Eng 
land?  " 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  America  again. 
There  was  a  letter  from  Dora  this  morning. 
They  sail  on  the  twenty-third." 

"  Do  you  know  anything  of  Mostyn?  ' 

"  Since  he  wrote  us  a  polite  farewell  we 
have  heard  nothing." 

"  Do  you  think  he  went  to  America?  ': 

"  I  cannot  tell.  When  he  bid  us  good-by 
he  made  no  statement  as  to  his  destination; 
he  merely  said  '  he  was  leaving  England  on 
business.' 

"  Well,  Ruth,  we  shall  sail  as  soon  as  I  am 
satisfied  all  is  right.  There  is  a  little  delay 
about  some  leases  and  other  matters.  In  the 
meantime  the  lovers  are  in  Paradise — wher 
ever  we  locate  them." 

And  in  Paradise  they  dwelt  for  another 
four  weeks.  The  ancient  garden  had  doubt 
less  many  a  dream  of  love  to  keep,  but  none 
sweeter  or  truer  than  the  idyl  of  Tyrrel  and 
Ethel  Eawdon.  They  were  never  weary  of 
rehearsing  it;  every  incident  of  its  growth 
had  been  charming  and  romantic,  and,  as  they 
believed,  appointed  from  afar.  As  the  sum- 


214  THE   MAN   BETWEEN" 

mer  waxed  hotter  the  beautiful  place  took  on 
an  appearance  of  royal  color  and  splendor, 
and  the  air  was  languid  with  the  perfume  of 
the  clove  carnations  and  tall  white  August 
lilies.  Fluted  dahlias,  scarlet  poppies,  and  all 
the  flowers  that  exhale  their  spice  in  the  last 
hot  days  of  August  burned  incense  for  them. 
Their  very  hair  was  laden  with  odor,  their 
fingers  flower-sweet,  their  minds  took  on  the 
many  colors  of  their  exquisite  surroundings. 

And  it  was  part  of  this  drama  of  love  and 
scent  and  color  that  they  should  see  it  slowly 
assume  the  more  ethereal  loveliness  of  Sep 
tember,  and  watch  the  subtle  amber  rays 
shine  through  the  thinning  boughs,  and  feel 
that  all  nature  was  becoming  idealized.  The 
birds  were  then  mostly  silent.  They  had  left 
their  best  notes  on  the  hawthorns  and  among 
the  roses;  but  the  crickets  made  a  cheerful 
chirrup,  and  the  great  brown  butterflies  dis 
played  their  richest  velvets,  and  the  gos 
samer-like  insects  in  the  dreamy  atmosphere 
performed  dances  and  undulations  full  of 
grace  and  mystery.  And  all  these  marvel 
ous  changes  imparted  to  love  that  sweet  sad 
ness  which  is  beyond  all  words  poetic  and  en 
chaining. 

Yet  however  sweet  the  hours,  they  pass 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  215 

away,  and  it  is  not  much  memory  can  save 
from  the  mutable,  happy  days  of  love.  Still, 
when  the  hour  of  departure  came  they  had 
garnered  enough  to  sweeten  all  the  after- 
straits  and  stress  of  time.  September  had 
then  perceptibly  begun  to  add  to  the  nights 
and  shorten  the  days,  and  her  tender  touch 
had  been  laid  on  everything.  With  a  smile 
and  a  sigh  the  Rawdons  turned  their  faces  to 
their  pleasant  home  in  the  Land  of  the  West. 
It  was  to  be  but  a  short  farewell.  They  had 
promised  the  Squire  to  return  the  following 
summer,  but  he  felt  the  desolation  of  the 
parting  very  keenly.  With  his  hat  slightly 
lifted  above  his  white  head,  he  stood  watch 
ing  them  out  of  sight.  Then  he  went  to  his 
organ,  and  very  soon  grand  waves  of  melody 
rolled  outward  and  upward,  and  blended 
themselves  with  the  clear,  soaring  voice  of 
Joel,  the  lad  who  blew  the  bellows  of  the  in 
strument,  and  shared  all  his  master's  joy  in 
it.  They  played  and  sang  until  the  Squire 
rose  weary,  but  full  of  gladness.  The  look  of 
immortality  was  in  his  eyes,  its  sure  and  cer 
tain  hope  in  his  heart.  He  let  Joel  lead  him 
to  his  chair  by  the  window,  and  then  he  said 
to  himself  with  visible  triumph : 

"  What  Mr.  Spencer  or  anyone  else  writes 


216  THE  MAN  BETWEEN" 

about  '  the  Unknowable  '  I  care  not.  I  know 
in  Whom  I  have  believed.  Joel,  sing  that  last 
sequence  again.  Stand  where  I  can  see  thee." 
And  the  lad's  joyful  voice  rang  exulting  out: 

"  Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place 
in  all  generations.  Before  the  mountains 
were  brought  forth,  or  ever  Thou  hadst  formed 
the  world,  from  everlasting  to  everlasting 
Thou  art  God!  Thou  art  God!  Thou  art 
God!  " 

"  That  will  do,  Joel.  Go  thy  ways  now. 
Lord,  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place  in 
all  generations.  '  Unknowable,'  Thou  hast 
been  our  dwelling-place  in  all  generations. 
No,  no,  no,  what  an  ungrateful  sinner  I 
would  be  to  change  the  Lord  everlasting  for 
'  the  Unknowable.'  " 


CHAPTER  IX 

NEW  YORK  is  at  its  very  brightest  and  best 
in  October.  This  month  of  the  year  may  be 
safely  trusted  not  to  disappoint.  The  skies 
are  blue,  the  air  balmy,  and  there  is  gener 
ally  a  delightful  absence  of  wind.  The  sum 
mer  exiles  are  home  again  from  Jersey  board 
ing  houses,  and  mountain  camps,  and  seaside 
hotels,  and  thankful  to  the  point  of  hilarity 
that  this  episode  of  the  year  is  over,  that  they 
can  once  more  dwell  under  their  own  roofs 
without  breaking  any  of  the  manifest  laws 
of  the  great  goddess  Custom  or  Fashion. 

Judge  Rawdon's  house  had  an  especially 
charming  "  at  home  "  appearance.  During 
the  absence  of  the  family  it  had  been  made 
beautiful  inside  and  outside,  and  the  white 
stone,  the  plate  glass,  and  falling  lace  evi 
dent  to  the  street,  had  an  almost  conscious 
look  of  luxurious  propriety. 

The  Judge  frankly  admitted  his  pleasure 
in  his  home  surroundings.  He  said,  as  they 
ate  their  first  meal  in  the  familiar  room,  that 
"  a  visit  to  foreign  countries  was  a  grand, 


218  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

patriotic  tonic."  He  vowed  that  the  "  first 
sight  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at  Sandy  Hook 
had  given  him  the  finest  emotion  he  had  ever 
felt  in  his  life,"  and  was  altogether  in  his 
proudest  American  mood.  Ruth  sympathized 
with  him.  Ethel  listened  smiling.  She  knew 
well  that  the  English  strain  had  only  tem 
porarily  exhausted  itself;  it  would  have  its 
period  of  revival  at  the  proper  time. 

"  I  am  going  to  see  grandmother,"  she 
said  gayly.  "  I  shall  stay  with  her  all  day." 

"  But  I  have  a  letter  from  her,"  inter 
rupted  the  Judge,  "  and  she  will  not  return 
home  until  next  week." 

"  I  am  sorry.  I  was  anticipating  so  eagerly 
the  joy  of  seeing  her.  Well,  as  I  cannot  do 
so,  I  will  go  and  call  on  Dora  Stanhope." 

"  I  would  not  if  I  were  you,  Ethel,"  said 
Ruth.  "  Let  her  come  and  call  on  you." 

"  I  had  a  little  note  from  her  this  morn 
ing,  welcoming  me  home,  and  entreating  me 
to  call." 

The  Judge  rose  as  Ethel  was  speaking,  and 
no  more  was  said  about  the  visit  at  that  time, 
but  a  few  hours  later  Ethel  came  down  from 
her  room  ready  for  the  street  and  frankly 
told  Ruth  she  had  made  up  her  mind  to  call 
on  Dora. 


THE  MAN   BETWEEN  219 

"  Then  I  will  only  remind  you,  Ethel,  that 
Dora  is  not  a  fortunate  woman  to  know.  As 
far  as  I  can  see,  she  is  one  of  those  who  sow 
pain  of  heart  and  vexation  of  spirit  about 
every  house  they  enter,  even  their  own.  But  I 
cannot  gather  experience  for  you,  it  will  have 
to  grow  in  your  own  garden." 

"  All  right,  dear  Ruth,  and  if  I  do  not  like 
its  growth,  I  will  pull  it  up  by  the  roots,  I 
assure  you." 

Ruth  went  with  her  to  the  door  and  watched 
her  walk  leisurely  down  the  broad  steps  to 
the  street.  The  light  kindled  in  her  eyes  and 
on  her  face  as  she  did  so.  She  already  felt 
the  magnetism  of  the  great  city,  and  with  a 
laughing  farewell  walked  rapidly  toward 
Dora's  house. 

Her  card  brought  an  instant  response,  and 
she  heard  Dora's  welcome  before  the  door 
was  opened.  And  her  first  greeting  was  an 
enthusiastic  compliment,  "  How  beautiful 
you  have  grown,  Ethel!  "  she  cried.  "  Ah, 
that  is  the  European  finish.  You  have  gained 
it,  my  dear;  you  really  are  very  much  im 
proved." 

"  And  you  also,  Dora?  " 

The  words  were  really  a  question,  but  Dora 
accepted  them  as  an  assertion,  and  was  satis 
fied. 


220  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  suppose  I  am,"  she  answered,  "  though 
I'm  sure  I  can't  tell  how  it  should  be  so,  un 
less  worry  of  all  kinds  is  good  for  good  looks. 
I've  had  enough  of  that  for  a  lifetime." 

"  Now,  Dora." 

"  Oh,  it's  the  solid  truth — partly  your 
fault,  too." 

"  I  never  interfered " 

"  Of  course  you  didn't,  but  you  ought  to 
have  interfered.  When  you  called  on  me  in 
London  you  might  have  seen  that  I  was  not 
happy;  and  I  wanted  to  come  to  Rawdon 
Court,  and  you  would  not  invite  me.  I  called 
your  behavior  then  '  very  mean,'  and  I  have 
not  altered  my  opinion  of  it." 

"  There  were  good  reasons,  Dora,  why  I 
could  not  ask  you." 

"  Good  reasons  are  usually  selfish  ones, 
Ethel,  and  Fred  Mostyn  told  me  what  they 


were.' 


"He  likely  told  you  untruths,  Dora,  for 
he  knew  nothing  about  my  reasons.  I  saw 
very  little  of  him." 

"  I  know.  You  treated  him  as  badly  as 
you  treated  me,  and  all  for  some  wild  West 
creature — a  regular  cowboy,  Fred  said,  but 
then  a  Rawdon !  ' 

"  Mr.  Mostyn  has  misrepresented  Mr.  Tyr- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  221 

rel  Eawdon — that  is  all  about  it.  I  shall  not 
explain  '  how  '  or  '  why.'  Did  you  enjoy 
yourself  at  Stanhope  Castle?  '•' 

"  Enjoy  myself!  Are  you  making  fun  of 
me?  Ethel,  dear,  it  was  the  most  awful  ex 
perience.  You  never  can  imagine  such  a  life, 
and  such  women.  They  were  dressed  for  a 
walk  at  six  o'clock ;  they  had  breakfast  at  half- 
past  seven.  They  went  to  the  village  and  in 
spected  cottages,  and  gave  lessons  in  house 
keeping  or  dressmaking  or  some  other 
drudgery  till  noon.  They  walked  back  to  the 
Castle  for  lunch.  They  attended  to  their 
own  improvement  from  half -past  one  until 
four,  had  lessons  in  drawing  and  chemistry, 
and,  I  believe,  electricity.  They  had  another 
walk,  and  then  indulged  themselves  with  a 
cup  of  tea.  They  dressed  and  received  vis 
itors,  and  read  science  or  theology  between 
whiles.  There  was  always  some  noted 
preacher  or  scholar  at  the  dinner  table.  The 
conversation  was  about  acids  and  explosives, 
or  the  planets  or  bishops,  or  else  on  the 
never,  never-ending  subject  of  elevating  the 
workingman  and  building  schools  for  his  chil 
dren.  Basil,  of  course,  enjoyed  it.  He 
thought  he  was  giving  me  a  magnificent  ob 
ject  lesson.  He  was  never  done  praising  the 


222  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

ladies  Mary  Elinor  and  Adelaide  Stanhope. 
I'm  sure  I  wish  he  had  married  one  or  all  of 
them — and  I  told  him  so." 

"  You  could  not  be  so  cruel,  Dora." 

"  I  managed  it  with  the  greatest  ease  im 
aginable.  He  was  always  trotting  at  their 
side.  They  spoke  of  him  as  *  the  most  pious 
young  man.'  I  have  no  doubt  they  were  all 
in  love  with  him.  I  hope  they  were.  I  used 
to  pretend  to  be  very  much  in  love  when  they 
were  present.  I  dare  say  it  made  them 
wretched.  Besides,  they  blushed  and  thought 
me  improper.  Basil  didn't  approve,  either, 
so  I  hit  all  round." 

She  rose  at  this  memory  and  shook  out  her 
silk  skirts,  and  walked  up  and  down  the  room 
with  an  air  that  was  the  visible  expression  of 
the  mockery  and  jealousy  in  her  heart.  This 
was  an  entirely  different  Dora  to  the  lachry 
mose,  untidy  wife  at  the  Savoy  Hotel  in  Lon 
don,  and  Ethel  had  a  momentary  pang  at  the 
thought  of  the  suffering  which  was  respon 
sible  for  the  change. 

"  If  I  had  thought,  Dora,  you  were  so  un 
comfortable,  I  would  have  asked  Basil  and 
you  to  the  Court." 

"  You  saw  I  was  not  happy  when  I  was  at 
the  Savoy." 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN"  223 


*. 


I  thought  you  and  Basil  had  had  a  kind 
of  lovers'  quarrel,  and  that  it  would  blow 
over  in  an  hour  or  two ;  no  one  likes  to  meddle 
with  an  affair  of  that  kind.  Are  you  going 
to  Newport,  or  is  Mrs.  Denning  in  New 
York?  " 

"  That  is  another  trouble,  Ethel.  When  I 
wrote  mother  I  wanted  to  come  to  her,  she 
sent  me  word  she  was  going  to  Lenox  with  a 
friend.  Then,  like  you,  she  said  t  she  had  no 
liberty  to  invite  me, '  and  so  on.  I  never  knew 
mother  act  in  such  a  way  before.  I  nearly 
broke  my  heart  about  it  for  a  few  days,  then 
I  made  up  my  mind  I  wouldn't  care." 

"  Mrs.  Denning,  I  am  sure,  thought  she  did 
the  wisest  and  kindest  thing  possible." 

' '  I  didn  't  want  mother  to  be  wise.  I  wanted 
her  to  understand  that  I  was  fairly  worn  out 
with  my  present  life  and  needed  a  change. 
I'm  sure  she  did  understand.  Then  why  was 
she  so  cruel?  "  and  she  shrugged  her  shoul 
ders  impatiently  and  sat  down.  "I'm  so 
tired  of  life,"  she  continued.  "  When  did 
you  hear  of  Fred  Mostyn?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  his  movements.  Is 
he  in  America?  " 

"  Somewhere.  I  asked  mother  if  he  was 
in  Newport,  and  she  never  answered  the  ques- 


224  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

tion.  I  suppose  lie  will  be  in  New  York  for 
the  winter  season.  I  hope  so." 

This  topic  threatened  to  be  more  danger 
ous  than  the  other,  and  Ethel,  after  many  and 
futile  attempts  to  bring  conversation  into 
safe  commonplace  channels,  pleaded  other 
engagements  and  went  away.  She  was  pain 
fully  depressed  by  the  interview.  All  the 
elements  of  tragedy  were  gathered  together 
under  the  roof  she  had  just  left,  and,  as  far 
as  she  could  see,  there  was  no  deliverer  wise 
and  strong  enough  to  prevent  a  calamity. 
She  did  not  repeat  to  Ruth  the  conversation 
which  had  been  so  painful  to  her.  She  de 
scribed  Dora's  dress  and  appearance,  and 
commented  on  Fred  Mostyn's  description  of 
Tyrrel  Rawdon,  and  on  Mrs.  Denning 's  re 
fusal  of  her  daughter's  proposed  visit. 

Ruth  thought  the  latter  circumstance  sig 
nificant.  "  I  dare  say  Mostyn  was  in  New 
port  at  that  time',"  she  answered.  "  Mrs. 
Denning  has  some  very  quick  perceptions." 
And  Ruth's  opinion  was  probably  correct,  for 
during  dinner  the  Judge  remarked  ki  a  casual 
manner  that  he  had  met  Mr.  Mostyn  on  the 
avenue  as  he  was  coming  home.  "  He  was 
well,"  he  said,  "  and  made  all  the  usual  in 
quiries  as  to  your  health."  And  both  Ruth 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  225 

and  Ethel  understood  that  he  wished  them  to 
know  of  Mostyn's  presence  in  the  city,  and 
to  be  prepared  for  meeting  him;  but  did  not 
care  to  discuss  the  subject  further,  at  least 
at  that  time.  The  information  brought  pre 
cisely  the  same  thought  at  the  same  moment 
to  both  women,  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
alone  they  uttered  it. 

"  She  knew  Mostyn  was  in  the  city,"  said 
Ethel  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Certainly." 

"  She  was  expecting  him." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  Her  elaborate  and  beautiful  dressing  was 
for  him." 

"  Poor  Basil!  " 

"  She  asked  me  to  stay  and  lunch  with  her, 
but  very  coolly,  and  when  I  refused,  did  not 
press  the  matter  as  she  used  to  do.  Yes,  she 
was  expecting  him.  I  understand  now  her 
nervous  manner,  her  restlessness,  her  indif 
ference  to  my  short  visit.  I  wish  I  could  do 
anything. ' ' 

"  You  cannot,  and  you  must  not  try." 

"  Some  one  must  try." 

"  There  is  her  husband.  Have  you  heard 
from  Tyrrel  yet?  " 


226  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  have  had  a  couple  of  telegrams.  He 
will  write  from  Chicago." 

"  Is  he  going  at  once  to  the  Hot  Springs?  ' 

"  As  rapidly  as  possible.  Colonel  Kawdon 
is  now  there,  and  very  ill.  Tyrrel  will  put 
his  father  first  of  all.  The  trouble  at  the 
mine  can  be  investigated  afterwards." 

"  You  will  miss  him  very  much.  You  have 
been  so  happy  together." 

"  Of  course  I  shall  miss  him.  But  it  will 
be  a  good  thing  for  us  to  be  apart  awhile. 
Love  must  have  some  time  in  which  to  grow. 
I  am  a  little  tired  of  being  very  happy,  and  I 
think  Tyrrel  also  will  find  absence  a  relief. 
In  i  Lalla  Rookh  '  there  is  a  line  about  love 
t  falling  asleep  in  a  sameness  of  splendor.7 
It  might.  How  melancholy  is  a  long  spell 
of  hot,  sunshiny  weather,  and  how  gratefully 
we  welcome  the  first  shower  of  rain." 

"  Love  has  made  you  a  philosopher,  Ethel." 

"  Well,  it  is  rather  an  advantage  than 
otherwise.  I  am  going  to  take  a  walk,  Euth, 
into  the  very  heart  of  Broadway.  I  have  had 
enough  of  the  peace  of  the  country.  I  want 
the  crack,  and  crash,  and  rattle,  and  grind 
of  wheels,  the  confused  cries,  the  snatches  of 
talk  and  laughter,  the  tread  of  crowds,  the 
sound  of  bells,  and  clocks,  and  chimes.  I 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  227 

long  for  all  the  chaotic,  unintelligible  noise 
of  the  streets.  How  suggestive  it  is!  Yet  it 
never  explains  itself.  It  only  gives  one  a  full 
sense  of  life.  Love  may  need  just  the  same 
stimulus.  I  wish  grandmother  would  come 
home.  I  should  not  require  Broadway  as  a 
stimulus.  I  am  afraid  she  will  be  very  angry 
with  me,  and  there  will  be  a  battle  royal  in 
Gramercy  Park." 

It  was  nearly  a  week  before  Ethel  had  this 
crisis  to  meet.  She  went  down  to  it  with  a 
radiant  face  and  charming  manner,  and  her 
reception  was  very  cordial.  Madam  would 
not  throw  down  the  glove  until  the  proper 
moment ;  besides,  there  were  many  very  inter 
esting  subjects  to  talk  over,  and  she  wanted 
"  to  find  things  out  "  that  would  never  be  told 
unless  tempers  were  propitious.  Added  to 
these  reasons  was  the  solid  one  that  she  really 
adored  her  granddaughter,  and  was  immensely 
cheered  by  the  very  sight  of  the  rosy,  smiling 
countenance  lifted  to  her  sitting-room  win 
dow  in  passing.  She,  indeed,  pretended  to  be 
there  in  order  to  get  a  good  light  for  her  new 
shell  pattern,  but  she  was  watching  for  Ethel, 
and  Ethel  understood  the  shell-pattern  fiction 
very  well.  She  had  heard  something  similar 
often. 


228  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  My  darling  grandmother,"  she  cried,  "  I 
thought  you  would  never  come  home." 

"  It  wasn't  my  fault,  dear.  Miss  Hillis 
and  an  imbecile  young  doctor  made  me  be 
lieve  I  had  a  cold.  I  had  no  cold.  I  had 
nothing  at  all  but  what  I  ought  to  have.  I've 
been  made  to  take  all  sorts  of  things,  and  do 
all  sorts  of  things  that  I  hate  to  take  and  hate 
to  do.  For  ten  days  I've  been  kicking  my  old 
heels  against  bedclothes.  Yesterday  I  took 
things  in  my  own  hands." 

"  Never  mind,  Granny  dear,  it  was  all  a 
good  discipline." 

"  Discipline!  You  impertinent  young 
lady!  Discipline  for  your  grandmother! 
Discipline,  indeed!  That  one  word  may  cost 
you  a  thousand  dollars,  miss." 

"  I  don't  care  if  it  does,  only  you  must  give 
the  thousand  dollars  to  poor  Miss  Hillis." 

"  Poor  Miss  Hillis  has  had  a  most  com 
fortable  time  with  me  all  summer." 

"  I  know  she  has,  consequently  she  will 
feel  her  comfortless  room  and  poverty  all  the 
more  after  it.  Give  her  the  thousand,  Granny. 
I'm  willing." 

"  What  kind  of  company  have  you  been 
keeping,  Ethel  Rawdon?  Who  has  taught 
you  to  squander  dollars  by  the  thousand? 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN:  229 

Discipline !  I  think  you  are  giving  me  a  little 
now — a  thousand  dollars  a  lesson,  it  seems — 
no  wonder,  after  the  carryings-on  at  Eawdon 
Court. " 

"  Dear  grandmother,  we  had  the  loveliest' 
time  you  can  imagine.  And  there  is  not,  in 
all  the  world,  such  a  noble  old  gentleman  as 
Squire  Percival  Rawdon." 

"  I  know  all  about  Percival  Eawdon — a 
proud,  careless,  extravagant,  loose-at-ends 
man,  dancing  and  singing  and  loving  as  it 
suited  time  and  season,  taking  no  thought  for 
the  future,  and  spending  with  both  hands; 
hard  on  women,  too,  as  could  be." 

"  Grandmother,  I  never  saw  a  more  courte 
ous  gentleman.  He  worships  women.  He 
was  never  tired  of  talking  about  you." 

"  What  had  he  to  say  about  me?  v 

"  That  you  were  the  loveliest  girl  in  the 
county,  and  that  he  never  could  forget  the 
first  time  he  saw  you.  He  said  you  were  like 
the  vision  of  an  angel." 

"  Nonsense!  I  was  just  a  pretty  girl  in  a 
book  muslin  frock  and  a  white  sash,  with  a 
rose  at  my  breast.  I  believe  they  use  book 
muslin  for  linings  now,  but  it  did  make  the 
sheerest,  lightest  frocks  any  girl  could  want. 
,  I  remember  that  time.  I  was  going  to 


230  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

a  little  party  and  crossing  a  meadow  to  shorten 
the  walk,  and  Squire  Percival  had  been  out 
with  his  gun,  and  he  laid  it  down  and  ran  to 
help  me  over  the  stile.  A  handsome  young 
fellow  he  was  then  as  ever  stepped  in  shoe 
leather." 

"  And  he  must  have  loved  you  dearly.  He 
would  sit  hour  after  hour  telling  Ruth  and 
me  how  bright  you  were,  and  how  all  the 
young  beaux  around  Monk-Rawdon  adored 
you." 

"  Nonsense!  Nonsense!  I  had  beaux  to 
be  sure.  What  pretty  girl  hasn't?  •' 

"  And  he  said  his  brother  Edward  won 
you  because  he  was  most  worthy  of  your 
love." 

"  Well,  now,  I  chose  Edward  Rawdon  be 
cause  he  was  willing  to  come  to  America.  I 
longed  to  get  away  from  Monk-Rawdon.  I 
was  faint  and  weary  with  the  whole  stupid 
place.  And  the  idea  of  living  a  free  and 
equal  life,  and  not  caring  what  lords  and 
squires  and  their  proud  ladies  said  or  did, 
pleased  me  wonderfully.  We  read  about 
Niagara  and  the  great  prairies  and  the  new 
bright  cities,  and  Edward  and  I  resolved  to 
make  our  home  there.  Your  grandfather 
wasn't  a  man  to  like  being  l  the  Squire's 
brother.7  He  could  stand  alone." 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  231 

"  Are  you  glad  you  came  to  America?  " 

"  Never  sorry  a  minute  for  it.  Ten  years 
in  New  York  is  worth  fifty  years  in  Honk- 
Kawdon,  or  Rawdon  Court  either." 

"  Squire  Percival  was  very  fond  of  me. 
He  thought  I  resembled  you,  grandmother, 
but  he  never  admitted  I  was  as  handsome  as 
you  were." 

"  Well,  Ethel  dear,  you  are  handsome 
enough  for  the  kind  of  men  you'll  pick  up 
in  this  generation — most  of  them  bald  at 
thirty,  wearing  spectacles  at  twenty  or  ear 
lier,  and  in  spite  of  the  fuss  they  make  about 
athletics  breaking  all  to  nervous  bits  about 
fifty." 

"  Grandmother,  that  is  pure  slander.  I 
know  some  very  fine  young  men,  handsome 
and  athletic  both." 

"  Beauty  is  a  matter  of  taste,  and  as  to 
their  athletics,  they  can  run  a  mile  with  a 
blacksmith,  but  when  the  thermometer  rises 
to  eighty-five  degrees  it  knocks  them  all  to 
pieces.  They  sit  fanning  themselves  like 
schoolgirls,  and  call  for  juleps  and  ice-water. 
I've  got  eyes  yet,  my  dear.  Squire  Percival 
was  a  different  kind  of  man ;  he  could  follow 
the  hounds  all  day  and  dance  all  night.  The 
hunt  had  not  a  rider  like  him;  he  balked  at 


232  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

neither  hedge,  gate,  nor  water;  a  right  gal 
lant,  courageous,  honorable,  affectionate  gen 
tleman  as  ever  Yorkshire  bred,  and  she's 
bred  lots  of  superfine  ones.  What  ever  made 
him  get  into  such  a  mess  with  his  estate? 
Your  grandfather  thought  him  as  straight  as 
a  string  in  money  matters." 

"  You  said  just  now  he  was  careless  and 
extravagant." 

"  Well,  I  did  him  wrong,  and  I'm  sorry  for 
it.  How  did  he  manage  to  need  eighty  thou 
sand  pounds? ' 

"  It  is  rather  a  pitiful  story,  grandmother, 
but  he  never  once  blamed  those  who  were  in 
the  wrong.  His  son  for  many  years  had  been 
the  real  manager  of  the  estate.  He  was  a 
speculator;  his  grandsons  were  wild  and  ex 
travagant.  They  began  to  borrow  money  ten 
years  ago  and  had  to  go  on." 

"  Whom  did  they  borrow  from?  " 

"  Fred  Mostyn's  father." 

"  The  devil!  Excuse  me,  Ethel— but  the 
name  suits  and  may  stand." 

"  The  dear  old  Squire  would  have  taken  the 
fault  on  himself  if  he  could  have  done  so. 
They  that  wronged  him  were  his  own,  and 
they  were  dead.  He  never  spoke  of  them  but 
with  affection." 


THE  MAN"  BETWEEN  23£ 

"  Poor  Percival!  Your  father  told  me  lie 
was  now  out  of  Mostyn's  power;  he  said  you 
had  saved  the  estate,  but  he  gave  me  no  par 
ticulars.  How  did  you  save  it?  " 

"  Bought  it!" 
»-    "  Nonsense!  ' 

"  House  and  lands  and  outlying  farms  and 
timber — everything. ' ' 

Then  a  rosy  color  overspread  Madam's 
face,  her  eyes  sparkled,  she  rose  to  her  feet, 
made  Ethel  a  sweeping  courtesy,  and  said: 

"  My  respect  and  congratulations  to  Ethel,. 
Lady  of  Eawdon  Manor." 

"  Dear  grandmother,  what  else  could  I 
do?" 

"  You  did  right." 

"  The  Squire  is  Lord  of  the  Manor  as  long 
as  he  lives.  My  father  says  I  have  done  well 
to  buy  it.  In  the  future,  if  I  do  not  wish  to 
keep  it,  Nicholas  Rawdon  will  relieve  me  at 
a  great  financial  advantage." 

"  Why  didn't  you  let  Nicholas  Eawdon  buy 
it  now?  " 

"  He  would  have  wanted  prompt  posses 
sion.  The  Squire  would  have  had  to  leave  his 
home.  It  would  have  broken  his  heart." 

"  I  dare  say.  He  has  a  soft,  loving  heart. 
That  isn't  always  a  blessing.  It  can  give  one. 


234  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

a  deal  of  suffering.  And  I  hear  you  have  all 
been  making  idols  of  these  Tyrrel-Rawdons. 
Fred  tells  me  they  are  as  vulgar  a  lot  as  can 
be." 

"  Fred  lies !  Excuse  me,  grandmother — but 
the  word  suits  and  may  stand.  Mr.  Nicholas 
is  pompous,  and  walks  as  slowly  as  if  he  had 
to  carry  the  weight  of  his  great  fortune ;  but 
his  manners  are  all  right,  and  his  wife  and 
son  are  delightful.  She  is  handsome,  well 
dressed,  and  so  good-hearted  that  her  pretty 
county  idioms  are  really  charming.  John 
Thomas  is  a  man  by  himself — not  handsome, 
but  running  over  with  good  temper,  and  ex 
ceedingly  clever  and  wide-awake.  Many 
times  I  was  forced  to  tell  myself,  John 
Thomas  would  make  an  ideal  Squire  of  Raw- 
don." 

"  Why  don't  you  marry  him." 

"  He  never  asked  me." 

"  What  was  the  matter  with  the  man*? ' 

"  He  was  already  engaged  to  a  very  lovely 
young  lady." 

"  I  am  glad  she  is  a  lady." 

"  She  is  also  very  clever.  She  has  been  to 
college  and  taken  high  honors,  a  thing  I  have 
not  done." 

11  You  might  have  done  and  overdone  that 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  235 

caper;  you  were  too  sensible  to  try  it.  Well, 
I'm  glad  that  part  of  the  family  is  looking 
up.  They  had  the  right  stuff  in  them,  and  it 
is  a  good  thing  for  families  to  dwell  together 
in  unity.  We  have  King  David's  word  for 
that.  My  observation  leads  me  to  think  it  is 
far  better  for  families  to  dwell  apart,  in 
unity.  They  seldom  get  along  comfortably 
together." 

Then  Ethel  related  many  pleasant,  piquant 
scenes  between  the  two  families  at  Monk- 
Rawdon,  and  especially  that  one  in  which  the 
room  of  the  first  Tyrrel  had  been  opened  and 
his  likeness  restored  to  its  place  in  the  family 
gallery.  It  touched  the  old  lady  to  tears,  and 
she  murmured,  "Poor  lad!  Poor  lad!  I 
wonder  if  he  knows !  I  wonder  if  he  knows !  >: 

The  crucial  point  of  Ethel's  revelations  had 
not  yet  been  revealed,  but  Madam  was«now 
in  a  gentle  mood,  and  Ethel  took  the  oppor 
tunity  to  introduce  her  to  Tyrrel  Kawdon. 
She  was  expecting  and  waiting  for  this  topic, 
but  stubbornly  refused  to  give  Ethel  any  help 
toward  bringing  it  forward.  At  last,  the  girl 
felt  a  little  anger  at  her  pretended  indiffer 
ence,  and  said,  "  I  suppose  Fred  Mostyn  told 
you  about  Mr.  Tyrrel  Eawdon,  of  Cali 
fornia?  " 


236  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  Tyrrel  Rawdon,  of  California!  Pray, 
who  may  lie  be?  ' 

"  Tlie  son  of  Colonel  Rawdon,  of  the  United 
States  Army." 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure!    Well,  what  of  him?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  marry  him." 

"  I  shall  see  about  that." 

"  We  were  coming  here  together  to  see  you, 
but  before  we  left  the  steamer  he  got  a  tele 
gram  urging  him  to  go  at  once  to  his  father, 
who  is  very  ill. ' ' 

"  I  have  not  asked  him  to  come  and  see 
me.  Perhaps  he  will  wait  till  I  do  so." 

"  If  you  are  not  going  to  love  Tyrrel,  you 
need  not  love  me.  I  won't  have  you  for  a 
grandmother  any  longer." 

"  I  did  without  you  sixty  years.  I  shall 
not  live  another  twelve  months,  and  I  think 
I  can  manage  to  do  without  you  for  a  grand 
daughter  any  longer." 

"  You  cannot  do  without  me.  You  would 
break  your  heart,  and  I  should  break  mine." 
Whereupon  Ethel  began  to  cry  with  a  passion 
that  quite  gratified  the  old  lady.  She  watched 
her  a  few  moments,  and  then  said  gently : 

"  There  now,  that  will  do.  When  he  comes 
to  New  York  bring  him  to  see  me.  And  don't 
name  the  man  in  the  meantime.  I  won't  talk 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  237 

about  him  till  I've  seen  him.  It  isn't  fair 
either  way.  Fred  didn't  like  him." 

"  Fred  likes  no  one  but  Dora  Stanhope." 

"  Eh!  What!  Is  that  nonsense  going  on 
yet?" 

Then  Ethel  described  her  last  two  inter 
views  with  Dora.  She  did  this  with  scrupu 
lous  fidelity,  making  no  suggestions  that 
might  prejudice  the  case.  For  she  really 
wanted  her  grandmother's  decision  in  order 
to  frame  her  own  conduct  by  it.  Madam  was 
not,  however,  in  a  hurry  to  give  it. 

"  What  do  you  think?  "  she  asked  Ethel. 

"  I  have  known  Dora  for  many  years;  she 
has  always  told  me  everything." 

"  But  nothing  about  Fred?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  Nothing  to  tell,  perhaps?  ' 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Where  does  her  excellent  husband  come 
in?  " 

"  She  says  he  is  very  kind  to.  her  in  his 
way." 

"  And  his  way  is  to  drag  her  over  the  world 
to  see  the  cathedrals  thereof,  and  to  vary  that 
pleasure  with  inspecting  schools  and  reforma 
tories  and  listening  to  great  preachers.  Upon 
my  word,  I  feel  sorry  for  the  child!  And  I 


238  THE  MAN  BETWEEN" 

know  all  about  such  excellent  people  as  the 
Stanhopes.     I  used  to  go  to  what  they  call 

*  a  pleasant  evening  '  with  them.     We  sat 
around  a  big  room  lit  with  wax  candles,  and 
held  improving   conversation,   or  some   one 
sang  one  or  two  of  Mrs.  Hemans'  songs,  like 

*  Passing    Away  '    or  •  *  He    Never    Smiled 
Again.'    Perhaps  there  was  a  comic  recita 
tion,  at  which  no  one  laughed,  and  finally  we 
had  wine  and  hot  water — they  called  it  '  port 
negus  ' — and  tongue  sandwiches  and  caraway 
cakes.    My  dear  Ethel,  I  yawn  now  when  I 
think  of  those  dreary  evenings.    What  must 
Dora  have  felt,  right  out  of  the  maelstrom  of 
New  York's  operas  and  theaters  and  dancing 
parties?  " 

"  Still,  Dora  ought  to  try  to  feel  some  in 
terest  in  the  church  affairs.  She  says  she 
does  not  care  a  hairpin  for  them,  and  Basil 
feels  so  hurt." 

"  I  dare  say  he  does,  poor  fellow!  He 
thinks  St.  Jude's  Kindergarten  and  sewing 
circles  and  missionary  societies  are  the  only 
joys  in  the  world.  Right  enough  for  Basil, 
but  how  about  Dora?  " 

"  They  are  his  profession;  she  ought  to 
feel  an  interest  in  them." 

"  Come  now,  look  at  the  question  sensibly. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  239 

Did  Dora's  father  bring  his  '  deals  '  and 
stock- jobbery  home,  and  expect  Dora  and  her 
mother  to  feel  an  interest  in  them?  Do  doc 
tors  tell  their  wives  about  their  patients,  and 
expect  them  to  pay  sympathizing  visits? 
Does  your  father  expect  Euth  and  yourself 
to  listen  to  his  cases  and  arguments,  and  visit 
his  poor  clients  or  make  underclothing  for 
them?  Do  men,  in  general,  consider  it  a 
wife's  place  to  interfere  in  their  profession 
or  business?  ' 

"  Clergymen  are  different." 

"  Not  at  all.  Preaching  and  philanthropy 
is  their  business.  They  get  so  much  a  year 
for  doing  it.  I  don't  believe  St.  Jude's  pays 
Mrs.  Stanhope  a  red  cent.  There  now,  and  if 
she  isn't  paid,  she's  right  not  to  work.  Amen 
to  that!" 

"  Before  she  was  married  Dora  said  she 
felt  a  great  interest  in  church  work." 

"  I  dare  say  she  did.  Marriage  makes  a 
deal  of  difference  in  a  woman's  likes  and  dis 
likes.  Church  work  was  courting-time  be 
fore  marriage;  after  marriage  she  had  other 
opportunities." 

"  I  think  you  might  speak  to  Fred  Mos- 
tyn " 

"  I  might,  but  it  wouldn't  be  worth  while. 


240  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Be  true  to  your  friend  as  long  as  you  can. 
In  Yorkshire  we  stand  by  our  friends,  right 
or  wrong,  and  we  aren't  too  particular  as  to 
their  being  right.  My  father  enjoyed  justi 
fying  a  man  that  everyone  else  was  down  on ; 
and  I've  stood  by  many  a  woman  nobody  had 
a  good  word  for.  I  was  never  sorry  for  doing 
it,  either.  I'll  be  going  into  a  strange  country 
soon,  and  I  should  not  wonder  if  some  of 
them  that  have  gone  there  first  will  be  ready 
to  stand  by  me.  We  don't  know  what  friends 
we'll  be  glad  of  there." 

The  dinner  bell  broke  up  this  conversation, 
and  Ethel  during  it  told  Madam  about  the 
cook  and  cooking  at  the  Court  and  at  Nicho 
las  Rawdon's,  where  John  Thomas  had  in 
stalled  a  French  chef.  Other  domestic  ar 
rangements  were  discussed,  and  when  the 
Judge  called  for  his  daughter  at  four  o'clock, 
Madam  vowed  "  she  had  spent  one  of  the 
happiest  days  of  her  life." 

11  Ruth  tells  me,"  said  the  Judge,  "  that 
Dora  Stanhope  called  for  Ethel  soon  after 
she  left  home  this  morning.  Ruth  seems 
troubled  at  the  continuance  of  this  friend 
ship.  Have  you  spoken  to  your  grandmother, 
Ethel,  about  Dora?" 

"  She  has  told  me  all  there  is  to  tell,  I  dare 
say,"  answered  Madam. 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  241 

"  Well,  mother,  what  do  you  think?  ': 

"  I  see  no  harm  in  it  yet  awhile.  It  is  not 
fair,  Edward,  to  condemn  upon  likelihoods. 
We  are  no  saints,  sinful  men  and  women,  all 
of  us,  and  as  much  inclined  to  forbidden  fruit 
as  any  good  Christians  can  be.  Ethel  can  do 
as  she  feels  about  it;  she's  got  a  mind  of  her 
own,  and  I  hope  to  goodness  she'll  not  let 
Euth  Bayard  bit  and  bridle  it." 

Going  home  the  Judge  evidently  pondered 
this  question,  for  he  said  after  a  lengthy 
silence,  "  Grandmother's  ethics  do  not  always 
fit  the  social  ethics  of  this  day,  Ethel.  She 
criticises  people  with  her  heart,  not  her  in 
tellect.  You  must  be  prudent.  There  is  a  re 
markable  thing  called  Respectability  to  be 
reckoned  with,  remember  that." 

And  Ethel  answered,  "  N~o  one  need  worry 
about  Dora.  Some  women  may  show  the 
edges  of  their  character  soiled  and  ragged, 
but  Dora  will  be  sure  to  have  hers  reputably 
finished  with  a  hem  of  the  widest  propriety." 
And  after  a  short  silence  the  Judge  added, 
almost  in  soliloquy,  "  And,  moreover,  Ethel, 

" '  There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will/  " 


PART  FOURTH 


THE  REAPING  OF  THE  SOWING 


CHAPTER   X 

Ethel  and  Tyrrel  parted  at  the 
steamer  they  did  not  expect  a  long  separa 
tion,  but  Colonel  Rawdon  never  recovered  his 
health,  and  for  many  excellent  reasons  Tyr 
rel  could  not  leave  the  dying  man.  Nor  did 
Ethel  wish  him  to  do  so.  Under  these  cir 
cumstances  began  the  second  beautiful  phase 
of  Ethel's  wooing,  a  sweet,  daily  correspond 
ence,  the  best  of  all  preparations  for  matri 
monial  oneness  and  understanding.  Look 
ing  for  TyrrePs  letters,  reading  them,  and 
answering  them  passed  many  happy  hours, 
for  to  both  it  was  an  absolute  necessity  to  as 
sure  each  other  constantly, 

"  Since  I  wrote  thee  yester  eve 
I  do  IOTC  thee,  Love,  believe, 
Twelve  times  dearer,  twelve  hours  longer, 
One  dream  deeper,  one  night  stronger, 
One  sun  surer— this  much  more 
Than  I  loved  thee,  dear,  before." 

And  for  the  rest,  she  took  up  her  old  life  with 
a  fresh  enthusiasm. 


244  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Among  these  interests  none  were  more 
urgent  in  their  claims  than  Dora  Stanhope; 
and  fortified  by  her  grandmother's  opinion, 
Ethel  went  at  once  to  call  on  her.  She  found 
Basil  with  his  wife,  and  his  efforts  to  make 
Ethel  see  how  much  he  expected  from  her  in 
fluence,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  not  even 
hint  a  disapproval  of  Dora,  were  almost  pa 
thetic,  for  he  was  so  void  of  sophistry  that 
his  innuendoes  were  flagrantly  open  to  de 
tection.  Dora  felt  a  contempt  for  them,  and 
he  had  hardly  left  the  room  ere  she  said : 

"  Basil  has  gone  to  his  vestry  in  high 
spirits.  When  I  told  him  you  were  coming 
to  see  me  to-day  he  smiled  like  an  angel.  He 
believes  you  will  keep  me  out  of  mischief,  and 
he  feels  a  grand  confidence  in  something 
which  he  calls  '  your  influence.7 

1 1  What  do  you  mean  by  mischief  ?  ' 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  going  about  with  Fred 
"Mostyn.  I  can't  help  that.  I  must  have  some 
one  to  look  after  me.  All  the  young  men  I 
used  to  know  pass  me  now  with  a  lifted  hat 
or  a  word  or  two.  The  girls  have  forgotten 
me.  I  don't  suppose  I  shall  be  asked  to  a 
single  dance  this  winter." 

"  The  ladies  in  St.  Jude's  church  would 
make  a  pet  of  you  if " 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  245 

"  The  old  cats  and  kittens!  No,  thank  you, 
I  am  not  going  to  church  except  on  Sunday 
mornings — that  is  respectable  and  right;  but 
as  to  being  the  pet  of  St.  Jude's  ladies!  No, 
no!  How  they  would  mew  over  my  delin 
quencies,  and  what  scratches  I  should  get 
from  their  velvet-shod  claws!  If  I  have  to 
be  talked  about,  I  prefer  the  ladies  of  the 
world  to  discuss  my  frailties." 

"  But  if  I  were  you,  I  would  give  no  one  a 
reason  for  saying  a  word  against  me.  Why 
should  you?  ' 

"  Fred  will  supply  them  with  reasons.  I 
can't  keep  the  man  away  from  me.  I  don't 
believe  I  want  to — he  is  very  nice  and  useful." 

"  You  are  talking  nonsense,  things  you 
don't  mean,  Dora.  You  are  not  such  a  fool 
ish  woman  as  to  like  to  be  seen  with  Fred 
Mostyn,  that  little  monocular  snob,  after  the 
aristocratic,  handsome  Basil  Stanhope.  The 
comparison  is  a  mockery.  Basil  is  the  finest 
gentleman  I  ever  saw.  Socially,  he  is  perfec 
tion,  and " 

"'  He  is  only  a  clergyman." 

"  Even  as  a  clergyman  he  is  of  religiously 
royal  descent.  There  are  generations  of 
clergymen  behind  him,  and  he  is  a  prince  in 
the  pulpit.  Every  man  that  knows  him  gives 


246  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Mm  the  highest  respect,  every  woman  thinks 
you  the  most  fortunate  of  wives.  No  one 
cares  for  Fred  Mostyn.  Even  in  his  native 
place  he  is  held  in  contempt.  He  had  nine 
hundred  votes  to  young  Rawdon's  twelve 
thousand." 

"  I  don't  mind  that.  I  am  going  to  the 
matinee  to-morrow  with  Fred.  He  wanted 
to  take  me  out  in  his  auto  this  afternoon,  but 
when  I  said  I  would  go  if  you  would  he  drew 
back.  What  is  the  reason?  Did  he  make 
you  offer  of  his  hand?  Did  you  refuse  it?  ' 

1 1  He  never  made  me  an  offer.  I  count  that 
to  myself  as  a  great  compliment.  If  he  had 
done  such  a  thing,  he  would  certainly  have 
been  refused." 

"  I  can  tell  that  he  really  hates  you.  "What 
dirty  trick  did  you  serve  him  about  Rawdon 
Court?  " 

"  So  he  called  the  release  of  Squire  Raw- 
don  a  '  dirty  trick  '?  It  would  have  been  a 
very  dirty  trick  to  have  let  Fred  Mostyn  get 
his  way  with  Squire  Rawdon." 

"  Of  course,  Ethel,  when  a  man  lends  his 
money  as  an  obligation  he  expects  to  get  it 
back  again." 

"  Mostyn  got  every  farthing  due  him,  and 
he  wanted  one  of  the  finest  manors  in  Eng- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  247 

land  in  return  for  the  obligation.  He  did  not 
get  it,  thank  God  and  my  father!  ' 

"  He  will  not  forget  your  father's  inter 
ference." 

"  I  hope  he  will  remember  it." 

"  Do  you  know  who  furnished  the  money 
to  pay  Fred  ?  He  says  he  is  sure  your  father 
did  not  have  it." 

"  Tell  him  to  ask  my  father.  He  might 
even  ask  your  father.  Whether  my  father 
had  the  money  or  not  was  immaterial.  Fa 
ther  could  borrow  any  sum  he  wanted,  I 
think." 

"  Whom  did  he  borrow  from?  ' 

"I  am  sure  that  Fred  told  you  to  ask  that 
question.  Is  he  writing  to  you,  Dora?  ' 

"  Suppose  he  is?  " 

"  I  cannot  suppose  such  a  thing.  It  is  too 
impossible." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  events 
all  more  or  less  qualified  to  bring  about  un 
speakable  misery  in  Basil's  home.  But  there 
is  nothing  in  life  like  the  marriage  tie.  The 
tugs  it  will  bear  and  not  break,  the  wrongs  it 
will  look  over,  the  chronic  misunderstandings 
it  will  forgive,  make  it  one  of  the  mysteries 
of  humanity.  It  was  not  in  a  day  or  a  week 
that  Basil  Stanhope's  dream  of  love  and 


248  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

home  was  shattered.  Dora  had  frequent  and 
then  less  frequent  times  of  return  to  her 
better  self;  and  every  such  time  renewed  her 
husband's  hope  that  she  was  merely  passing 
through  a  period  of  transition  and  assimila 
tion,  and  that  in  the  end  she  would  be  all  his 
desire  hoped  for. 

But  Ethel  saw  what  he  did  not  see,  that 
Mostyn  was  gradually  inspiring  her  with  his 
own  opinions,  perhaps  even  with  his  own  pas 
sion.  In  this  emergency,  however,  she  was 
gratified  to  find  that  Dora's  mother  appeared 
to  have  grasped  the  situation.  For  if  Dora 
went  to  the  theater  with  Mostyn,  Mrs.  Den 
ning  or  Bryce  was  also  there;  and  the  reck 
less  auto  driving,  shopping,  and  lunching  had 
at  least  a  show  of  respectable  association. 
Yet  when  the  opera  season  opened,  the  con 
stant  companionship  of  Mostyn  and  Dora  be 
came  entirely  too  remarkable,  not  only  in  the 
public  estimation,  but  in  Basil's  miserable 
conception  of  his  own  wrong.  The  young 
husband  used  every  art  and  persuasion — and 
failed.  And  his  failure  was  too  apparent  to 
be  slighted.  He  became  feverish  and  nervous, 
and  his  friends  read  his  misery  in  eyes  heavy 
with  unshed  tears,  and  in  the  wasting  pallor 
caused  by  his  sleepless,  sorrowful  nights. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Dora  also  showed  signs  of  the  change  so 
rapidly  working  on  her.  She  was  sullen  and 
passionate  by  turns;  she  complained  bitterly 
to  Ethel  that  her  youth  and  beauty  had  been 
wasted;  that  she  was  only  nineteen,  and  her 
life  was  over.  She  wanted  to  go  to  Paris,  to 
get  away  from  New  York  anywhere  and  any 
how.  She  began  to  dislike  even  the  presence 
of  Basil.  His  stately  beauty  offended  her, 
his  low,  calm  voice  was  the  very  keynote  of 
irritation. 

One  morning  near  Christmas  he  came  to 
her  with  a  smiling,  radiant  face.  "  Dora," 
he  said,  "  Dora,  my  love,  I  have  something 
so  interesting  to  tell  you.  Mrs.  Colby  and 
Mrs.  Schaffler  and  some  other  ladies  have  a. 
beautiful  idea.  They  wish  to  give  all  the 
children  of  the  church  under  eight  years  old 
the  grandest  Christmas  tree  imaginable — 
really  rich  presents — and  they  thought  you 
might  like  to  have  it  here." 

"  What  do  you  say,  Basil?  " 

"  You  were  always  so  fond  of  children. 
You " 

"  I  never  could  endure  them." 

"  We  all  thought  you  might  enjoy  it.  In 
deed,  I  was  so  sure  that  I  promised  for  you.. 
It  will  be  such  a  pleasure  to  me  also,  dear." 


250  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  I  will  have  no  such  childish  nonsense  in 
my  house." 

"  I  promised  it,  Dora." 

"  You  had  no  right  to  do  so.  This  is  my 
house.  My  father  bought  it  and  gave  me  it, 
and  it  is  my  own.  I " 

"  It  seems,  then,  that  I  intrude  in  your 
house.  Is  it  so?  Speak,  Dora." 

"  If  you  will  ask  questions  you  must  take 
the  answer.  You  do  intrude  when  you  come 
with  such  ridiculous  proposals — in  fact,  you 
intrude  very  often  lately." 

"  Does  Mr.  Mostyn  intrude?  " 

"  Mr.  Mostyn  takes  me  out,  gives  me  a  little 
.sensible  pleasure.  You  think  I  can  be  inter 
ested  in  a  Christmas  tree.  The  idea !  ' 

"  Alas,  alas,  Dora,  you  are  tired  of  me! 
You  do  not  love  me!  You  do  not  love  me!  ' 

"  I  love  nobody.  I  am  sorry  I  got  mar 
ried.  It  was  all  a  mistake.  I  will  go  home, 
and  then  you  can  get  a  divorce. ' ' 

At  this  last  word  the  whole  man  changed. 
He  was  suffused,  transfigured  with  an  anger 
that  was  at  once  righteous  and  impetuous. 

"  How  dare  you  use  that  word  to  me?  "  he 
demanded.  "  To  the  priest  of  God  no  such 
word  exists.  I  do  not  know  it.  You  are  my 
wife,  willing  or  unwilling.  You  are  my  wife 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  251 

forever,  whether  you  dwell  with  me  or  not. 
You  cannot  sever  bonds  the  Almighty  has 
tied.  You  are  mine,  Dora  Stanhope!  Mine 
for  time  and  eternity!  Mine  forever  and 
ever! ' 

She  looked  at  him  in  amazement,  and  saw 
a  man  after  an  image  she  had  never  imagined. 
She  was  terrified.  She  flung  herself  on  the 
sofa  in  a  whirlwind  of  passion.  She  cried 
aloud  against  his  claim.  She  gave  herself  up 
to  a  vehement  rage  that  was  strongly  infused 
with  a  childish  dismay  and  panic. 

"  I  will  not  be  your  wife  forever!  "  she 
shrieked.  "  I  will  never  be  your  wife  again 
— never,  not  for  one  hour !  Let  me  go !  Take 
your  hands  off  me!  "  For  Basil  had  knelt 
down  by  the  distraught  woman,  and  clasping 
her  in  his  arms  said,  even  on  her  lips,  "  You 
are  my  dear  wife!  You  are  my  very  own 
dear  wife!  Tell  me  what  to  do.  Anything 
that  is  right,  reasonable  I  will  do.  We  can 
never  part." 

"  I  will  go  to  my  father.  I  will  never  come 
back  to  you. ' '  And  with  these  words  she  rose, 
threw  off  his  embrace,  and  with  a  sobbing 
cry  ran,  like  a  terrified  child,  out  of  the  room. 

He  sat  down  exhausted  by  his  emotion,  and 
sick  with  the  thought  she  had  evoked  in  that 


252  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

one  evil  word.  The  publicity,  the  disgrace, 
the  wrong  to  Holy  Church — ah,  that  was  the 
cruelest  wound!  His  own  wrong  was  hard 
enough,  but  that  he,  who  would  gladly  die 
for  the  Church,  should  put  her  to  open 
shame!  How  could  he  bear  it?  Though  it 
killed  him,  he  must  prevent  that  wrong;  yes, 
if  the  right  eye  offended  it  must  be  plucked 
out.  He  must  throw  off  his  cassock,  and  turn 
away  from  the  sacred  aisles;  he  must — he 
could  not  say  the  word ;  he  would  wait  a  little. 
Dora  would  not  leave  him ;  it  was  impossible. 
He  waited  in  a  trance  of  aching  suspense. 
Nothing  for  an  hour  or  more  broke  it — no 
footfall,  no  sound  of  command  or  complaint. 
He  was  finally  in  hopes  that  Dora  slept. 
Then  he  was  called  to  lunch,  and  he  made  a 
pretense  of  eating  it  alone.  Dora  sent  no  ex 
cuse  for  her  absence,  and  he  could  not  trust 
himself  to  make  inquiry  about  her.  In  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  he  heard  a  carriage 
drive  to  the  door,  and  Dora,  with  her  jewel- 
case  in  her  hand,  entered  it  and  was  driven 
away.  The  sight  astounded  him.  He  ran  to 
her  room,  and  found  her  maid  packing  her 
clothing.  The  woman  answered  his  questions 
sullenly.  She  said  "  Mrs.  Stanhope  had  gone 
to  Mrs.  Denning 's,  and  had  left  orders  for 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN"  253 

her  trunks  to  be  sent  there."  Beyond  this 
she  was  silent  and  ignorant.  No  sympathy 
for  either  husband  or  wife  was  in  her  heart. 
Their  quarrel  was  interfering  with  her  own 
plans ;  she  hated  both  of  them  in  consequence. 
In  the  meantime  Dora  had  reached  her 
home.  Her  mother  was  dismayed  and  hesi 
tating,  and  her  attitude  raised  again  in  Dora's 
heart  the  passion  which  had  provoked  the 
step  she  had  taken.  She  wept  like  a  lost 
child.  She  exclaimed  against  the  horror  of 
being  Basil's  wife  forever  and  ever.  She  re* 
preached  her  mother  for  suffering  her  to 
marry  while  she  was  only  a  child.  She  said 
she  had  been  cruelly  used  in  order  to  get  the 
family  into  social  recognition.  She  was  in  a 
frenzy  of  grief  at  her  supposed  sacrifice  when 
her  father  came  home.  Her  case  was  then 
won.  With  her  arms  round  his  neck,  sobbing 
against  his  heart,  her  tears  and  entreaties  on 
his  lips,  Ben  Denning  had  no  feeling  and  no 
care  for  anyone  but  his  daughter.  He  took 
her  view  of  things  at  once.  "  She  had  been 
badly  used.  It  was  a  shame  to  tie  a  girl  like 
Dora  to  sermons  and  such  like.  It  was  like 
shutting  her  up  in  a  convent."  Dora's  tears 
and  complaints  fired  him  beyond  reason.  He 
promised  her  freedom  whatever  it  cost  him. 


254  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

And  while  lie  sat  in  his  private  room  con 
sidering  the  case,  all  the  racial  passions  of 
his  rough  ancestry  burning  within  him,  Basil 
Stanhope  called  to  see  him.  He  permitted 
him  to  come  into  his  presence,  but  he  rose  as 
he  entered,  and  walked  hastily  a  few  steps  to 
meet  him. 

"  What  do  you  want  here,  sir?  "  he  asked. 

"  My  wife." 

"  My  daughter.  You  shall  not  see  her.  I 
have  taken  her  back  to  my  own  care." 

11  She  is  my  wife.  No  one  can  take  her 
from  me." 

"  I  will  teach  you  a  different  lesson." 

"  The  law  of  God." 

"  The  law  of  the  land  goes  here.  You'll 
find  it  more  than  you  can  defy. ' ' 

"  Sir,  I  entreat  you  to  let  me  speak  to 
Dora." 

"I  will  not." 

"  I  will  stay  here  until  I  see  her." 

"  I  will  give  you  five  minutes.  I  do  not 
wish  to  offer  your  profession  an  insult ;  if  you 
have  any  respect  for  it  you  will  obey  me. ' ' 

11  Answer  me  one  question — what  have  I 
done  wrong  ?  ' : 

"  A  man  can  be  so  intolerably  right,  that 
he  becomes  unbearably  wrong.  You  have  no 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  255 

business  with  a  wife  and  a  home.    You  are  a 

d sight  too  good  for  a  good  little  girl  that 

wants  a  bit  of  innocent  amusement.  Ser 
mons  and  Christmas  trees!  Great  Scott, 
what  sensible  woman  would  not  be  sick  of  it 
all?  Sir,  I  don't  want  another  minute  of 
your  company.  Little  wonder  that  my  Dora 
is  ill  with  it.  Oblige  me  by  leaving  my  house 
as  quietly  as  possible."  And  he  walked  to 
the  door,  flung  it  open,  and  stood  glaring  at 
the  distracted  husband.  "  Go,"  he  said.  "Go 
at  once.  My  lawyer  will  see  you  in  the  fu 
ture.  I  have  nothing  further  to  say  to  you." 
Basil  went,  but  not  to  his  desolate  home. 
He  had  a  private  key  to  the  vestry  in  his 
church,  and  in  its  darkness  and  solitude  he 
faced  the  first  shock  of  his  ruined  life,  for  he 
knew  well  all  was  over.  All  had  been.  He  sank 
to  the  floor  at  the  foot  of  the  large  cross  which 
hung  on  its  bare  white  walls.  Grief's  illimit 
able  wave  went  over  him,  and  like  a  drowning 
man  he  uttered  an  inarticulate  cry  of  agony 
— the  cry  of  a  soul  that  had  wronged  its  des 
tiny.  Love  had  betrayed  him  to  ruin.  All 
he  had  done  must  be  abandoned.  All  he 
had  won  must  be  given  up.  Sin  and  shame 
indeed  it  would  be  if  in  his  person  a  sacra 
ment  of  the  Church  should  be  dragged  through 


256  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

a  divorce  court.  All  other  considerations 
paled  before  this  disgrace.  He  must  resign 
his  curacy,  strip  himself  of  the  honorable 
livery  of  heaven,  obliterate  his  person  and 
his  name.  It  was  a  kind  of  death. 

After  awhile  he  rose,  drank  some  water, 
lifted  the  shade  and  let  the  moonlight  in. 
Then  about  that  little  room  «he  walked  with 
God  through  the  long  night,  telling  Him  his 
sorrow  and  perplexity.  And  there  is  a  depth 
in  our  own  nature  where  the  divine  and  hu 
man  are  one.  That  night  Basil  Stanhope 
found  it,  and  henceforward  knew  that  the 
bitterness  of  death  was  behind  him,  not  .be 
fore.  "  I  made  my  nest  too  dear  on  earth, " 
he  sighed,  "  and  it  has  been  swept  bare — that 
is,  that  I  may  build  in  heaven. 

Now,  the  revelation  of  sorrow  is  the  clearest 
of  all  revelations.  Stanhope  understood  that 
hour  what  he  must  do.  No  doubts  weakened 
his  course.  He  went  back  to  the  house  Dora 
called  "  hers,"  took  away  what  he  valued, 
and  while  the  servants  were  eating  their 
breakfast  and  talking  over  his  marital 
troubles,  he  passed  across  its  threshold  for 
the  last  time.  He  told  no  one  where  he  was 
going ;  he  dropped  as  silently  and  dumbly  out 
of  the  life  that  had  known  him  as  a  stone 
dropped  into  mid-ocean. 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  257 

Ethel  considered  herself  fortunate  in  being 
from  home  at  the  time  this  disastrous  cul 
mination  of  Basil  Stanhope's  married  life 
was  reached.  On  that  same  morning  the 
Judge,  accompanied  by  Ruth  and  herself,  had 
gone  to  Lenox  to  spend  the  holidays  with 
some  old  friends,  and  she  was  quite  ignorant 
of  the  matter  when  she  returned  after  the 
New  Tear.  Bryce  was  her  first  informant. 
He  called  specially  to  give  her  the  news.  He 
said  his  sister  had  been  too  ill  and  too  busy 
to  write.  He  had  no  word  of  sympathy  for 
the  unhappy  pair.  He  spoke  only  of  the  anx 
iety  it  had  caused  him.  "  He  was  now  en 
gaged,"  he  said,  "  to  Miss  Caldwell,  and  she 
was  such  an  extremely  proper,  innocent  lady, 
and  a  member  of  St.  Jude's,  it  had  really 
been  a  trying  time  for  her."  Bryce  also  re 
minded  Ethel  that  he  had  been  against  Basil 
Stanhope  from  the  first.  "  He  had  always 
known  how  that  marriage  would  end,"  and 
-  so  on. 

Ethel  declined  to  give  any  opinion.  "  She 
must  hear  both  sides,"  she  said.  "  Dora  had 
been  so  reasonable  lately,  she  had  appeared 
happy." 

"  Oh,  Dora  is  a  little  fox,"  he  replied;  "  she 
doubles  on  herself  always." 


258  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Ruth  was  properly  regretful.  She  won 
dered  "  if  any  married  woman  was  really 
happy."  She  did  not  apparently  concern 
herself  about  Basil.  The  Judge  rather  leaned 
to  Basil's  consideration.  He  understood  that 
Dora's  overt  act  had  shattered  his  profes 
sional  career  as  well  as  his  personal  happi 
ness.  He  could  feel  for  the  man  there.  "  My 
dears,"  he  said,  with  his  dilettante  air,  "  the 
goddess  Calamity  is  delicate,  and  her  feet  are 
tender.  She  treads  not  upon  the  ground,  but 
makes  her  path  upon  the  hearts  of  men."  In 
this  non-committal  way  he  gave  his  comment, 
for  he  usually  found  a  bit  of  classical  wis 
dom  to  fit  modern  emergencies,  and  the  habit 
had  imparted  an  antique  bon-ton  to  his  con 
versation.  Ethel  could  only  wonder  at  the 
lack  of  real  sympathy. 

In  the  morning  she  went  to  see  her  grand 
mother.  The  old  lady  had  "  heard  "  all  she 
wanted  to  hear  about  Dora  and  Basil  Stan 
hope.  If  men  would  marry  a  fool  because 
she  was  young  and  pretty,  they  must  take  the 
consequences.  "  And  why  should  Stanhope 
have  married  at  all?  "  she  asked  indignantly. 
"  No  man  can  serve  God  and  a  woman  at  the 
same  time.  He  had  to  be  a  bad  priest  and  a 
good  husband,  or  a  bad  husband  and  a  good 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  259 

priest.  Basil  Stanhope  was  honored,  was 
doing  good,  and  he  must  needs  be  happy  also. 
He  wanted  too  much,  and  lost  everything. 
Serve  him  right.'7 

11  All  can  now  find  some  fault  in  poor  Basil 
Stanhope,"  said  Ethel.  "  Bryce  was  bitter 
against  him  because  Miss  Caldwell  shivers  at 
the  word  *  divorce.' 

"  What  has  Bryce  to  do  with  Jane  Cald 
well?  " 

"  He  is  going  to  marry  her,  he  says." 

"  Like  enough;  she's  a  merry  miss  of  two- 
score,  and  rich.  Bryce 's  marriage  with  any 
one  will  be  a  well-considered  affair — a  mar 
riage  with  all  the  advantages  of  a  good 
bargain.  I'm  tired  of  the  whole  subject.  If 
women  will  marry  they  should  be  as  patient 
as  Griselda,  in  case  there  ever  was  such  a 
woman;  if  not,  there's  an  end  of  the  matter." 

"  There  are  no  Griseldas  in  this  century, 
grandmother. ' ' 

"  Then  there  ought  to  be  no  marriages. 
Basil  Stanhope  was  a  grand  man  in  public. 
What  kind  of  a  man  was  he  in  his  home? 
Measure  a  man  by  his  home  conduct,  and 
you'll  not  go  wrong.  It's  the  right  place  to 
draw  your  picture  of  him,  I  can  tell  you  that." 

"  He  has  no  home  now,  poor  fellow." 


260  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

"  Whose  fault  was  it?  God  only  knows. 
Where  is  his  wife?  ' 

"  She  has  gone  to  Paris." 

"  She  has  gone  to  the  right  place  if  she 
wants  to  play  the  fool.  But  there,  now,  God 
forbid  I  should  judge  her  in  the  dark. 
Women  should  stand  by  women — consider 
ing." 

"  Considering?  ' 

"  What  they  may  haye  to  put  up  with.  It 
is  easy  to  see  faults  in  others.  I  have  some 
times  met  with  people  who  could  see  faults 
in  themselves.  They  are  rather  uncommon, 
though." 

"  I  am  sure  Basil  Stanhope  will  be  miser 
able  all  his  life.  He  will  break  his  heart,  I 
do  believe." 

"  Not  so.  A  good  heart  is  hard  to  break, 
it  grows  strong  in  trouble.  Basil  Stanhope's 
body  will  fail  long  before  his  heart  does ;  and 
even  so,  an  end  must  come  to  life,  and  after 
that  peace  or  what  God  wills." 

This  scant  sympathy  Ethel  found  to  be  the 
usual  tone  among  her  acquaintances.  St. 
Jude's  got  a  new  rector  and  a  new  idol,  and 
the  Stanhope  affair  was  relegated  to  the 
limbo  of  things  "  it  was  proper  to  forget." 

So  the  weeks  of  the  long  winter  went  by, 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  261 

and  Ethel  in  the  joy  and  hope  of  her  own 
love-life  naturally  put  out  of  her  mind  the 
sorrow  of  lives  she  could  no  longer  help  or 
influence.  Indeed,  as  to  Dora,  there  were 
frequent  reports  of  her  marvelous  social  suc 
cess  in  Paris ;  and  Ethel  did  not  doubt  Stan 
hope  had  found  some  everlasting  gospel  of 
holy  work  to  comfort  his  desolation.  And 
then  also 

"Each,  day  brings  its  petty  dust, 

Our  soon-choked  souls  to  fill; 
And  we  forget  because  we  must, 
And  not  because  we  will." 

One  evening  when  May  «with  heavy  clouds 
and  slant  rains  was  making  the  city  as  miser 
able  as  possible,  Ethel  had  a  caller.  His  card 
bore  a  name  quite  unknown,  and  his  appear 
ance  gave  no  clew  to  his  identity. 

"  Mr.  Edmonds?  "  she  said  interrogatively. 

"  Are  you  Miss  Ethel  Rawdon?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes." 

"  Mr.  Basil  Stanhope  told  me  to  put  this 
parcel  in  your  hands." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Stanhope!  I  am  glad  to  hear 
from  him.  Where  is  he  now?  " 

"  We  buried  Trim  yesterday.  He  died  last 
Sunday  as  the  bells  were  ringing  for  church 
— pneumonia,  miss.  While  reading  the  ser- 


262  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

vice  over  a  poor  young  man  lie  had  nursed 
many  weeks  he  took  cold.  The  poor  will  miss 
him  sorely." 

"  Dead!  "  She  looked  aghast  at  the 
speaker,  and  again  ejaculated  the  pitiful, 
astounding  word. 

"  Good  evening,  miss.  I  promised  him  to 
return  at  once  to  the  work  he  left  me  to  do." 
And  he  quietly  departed,  leaving  Ethel  stand 
ing  with  the  parcel  in  her  hands.  She  ran 
upstairs  and  locked  it  away.  Just  then  she 
could  not  bear  to  open  it. 

"  And  it  is  hardly  twelve  months  since  he 
was  married,"  she  sobbed.  "  Oh,  Ruth, 
Ruth,  it  is  too  cruel!  ' 

"  Dear,"  answered  Ruth,  "  there  is  no 
death  to  such  a  man  as  Basil  Stanhope." 

"  He  was  so  young,  Ruth." 

"  I  know.  *  His  high-born  brothers  called 
him  hence  '  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  but 

"  '  It  is  not  growing  like  a  tree, 

In  bulk,  doth  make  men  better  be; 
^Or  standing  like  an  oak  three  hundred  year, 
fTo  fall  at  last,  dry,  bald  and  sear: 
A  lily  of  a  day 
IB  fairer  far  in  May; 
Although  it  fall  and  die  that  night, 
It  was  the  plant  and  flower  of  light/  " 


THE  MAN"  BETWEEN  263 

At  these  words  the  Judge  put  down  his 
'Review  to  listen  to  Ethel's  story,  and  when 
she  ceased  speaking  he  had  gone  far  further 
back  than  any  antique  classic  for  compensa 
tion  and  satisfaction: 

"  He  being  made  perfect  in  a  short  time 
fulfilled  a  long  time.  For  his  soul  pleased 
the  Lord,  therefore  hasted  He  to  take  him 
away  from  among  the  wicked. ' '  *  And  that 
evening  there  was  little  conversation.  Every 
heart  was  busy  with  its  own  thoughts. 

*  Wisdom  of  Solomon,  IV.,  13,  14. 


CHAPTER   XI 

TRADE  and  commerce  have  their  heroes  as 
well  as  arms,  and  the  struggle  in  which  Tyr- 
rel  Rawdon  at  last  plucked  victory  from  ap 
parent  failure  was  as  arduous  a  campaign 
as  any  military  operations  could  have  af 
forded.    It  had  entailed  on  him  a  ceaseless, 
undaunted  watch  over  antagonists  rich  and 
powerful;  and  a  fight  for  rights  which  con 
tained  not  only  his  own  fortune,  but  the  honor 
of  his  father,  so  that  to  give  up  a  fraction  of 
them  was  to  turn  traitor  to  the  memory  of  a 
parent  whom  he  believed  to  be  beyond  all 
doubt  or  reproach.    Money,  political  power, 
civic  influence,  treachery,  bribery,  the  law's 
delay  and  many  other  hindrances  met  him  on 
every  side,  but  his  heart  was  encouraged  daily 
to  perseverance  by  love's  tenderest  sympathy. 
For  he  told  Ethel  everything,  and  received 
both  from  her  fine  intuitions  and  her  father's 
legal  skill  priceless  comfort  and  advice.    But 
at  last  the  long  trial  was  over,  the  marriage 
day  was  set,  and  Tyrrel,  with  all  his  rights 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  265 

conceded,  was  honorably  free  to  seek  the  hap 
piness  he  had  safeguarded  on  every  side. 

It  was  a  lovely  day  in  the  beginning  of  May, 
nearly  two  years  after  their  first  meeting, 
when  Tyrrel  reached  New  York.  Ethel  knew 
at  what  hour  his  train  would  arrive,  she  was 
watching  and  listening  for  his  step.  They 
met  in  each  other's  arms,  and  the  blessed 
hours  of  that  happy  evening  were  an  over 
payment  of  delight  for  the  long  months  of 
their  separation. 

In  the  morning  Ethel  was  to  introduce  her 
lover  to  Madam  Kawdon,  and  side  by  side, 
almost  hand  in  hand,  they  walked  down  the 
avenue  together.  Walked?  They  were  so 
happy  they  hardly  knew  whether  their  feet 
touched  earth  or  not.  They  had  a  constant 
inclination  to  clasp  hands,  to  run  as  little 
children  run;  they  wished  to  smile  at  every 
one,  to  bid  all  the  world  good  morning. 
Madam  had  resolved  to  be  cool  and  careful 
in  her  advances,  but  she  quickly  found  her 
self  unable  to  resist  the  sight  of  so  much  love 
and  hope  and  happiness.  The  young  people 
together  took  her  heart  by  storm,  and  she  felt 
herself  compelled  to  express  an  interest  in 
their  future,  and  to  question  Tyrrel  about  it. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  yourself 


266  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

or  make  of  yourself?  "  she  asked  Tyrrel  one 
evening  when  they  were  sitting  together.  "  I 
do  hope  you'll  find  some  kind  of  work.  Any 
thing  is  better  than  loafing  about  clubs  and 
such  like  places." 

* '  I  am  going  to  study  law  with  Judge  Raw- 
don.  My  late  experience  has  taught  me  its 
value.  I  do  not  think  I  shall  loaf  in  his 
office." 

"  Not  if  he  is  anywhere  around.    He  works 
and  makes   others   work.     Lawyering  is   a4 
queer  business,  but  men  can  be  honest  in  it 
if  they  want  to. ' ' 

"  And,  grandmother,"  said  Ethel,  "  my  fa 
ther  says  Tyrrel  has  a  wonderful  gift  for 
public  speaking.  He  made  a  fine  speech  at 
father's  club  last  night.  Tyrrel  will  go  into 
politics." 

"  Will  he,  indeed?  Tyrrel  is  a  wonder.  If 
he  manages  to  walk  his  shoes  straight  in  the 
zigzaggery  ways  of  the  law,  he  will  be  one  of 
that  grand  breed  called  '  exceptions. '  As  for 
politics,  I  don't  like  them,  far  from  it.  Your 
grandfather  used  to  say  they  either  found  a 
man  a  rascal  or  made  him  one.  However^ 
I'm  ready  to  compromise  on  law  and  politics. 
I  was  afraid  with  his  grand  voice  he  would 
set  up  for  a  tenor." 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  267 

Tyrrel  laughed.  ' '  I  did  once  think  of  that 
role,"  he  said. 

"  I  fancied  that.  Whoever  taught  you  to 
use  your  voice  knew  a  thing  or  two  about 
singing.  I'll  say  that  much." 

"  My  mother  taught  me." 

"  Never!    I  wonder  now!  ' 

"  She  was  a  famous  singer.  She  was  a 
great  and  a  good  woman.  I  owe  her  for  every 
excellent  quality  there  is  in  me." 

"  No,  you  don't.  You  have  got  your  black 
eyes  and  hair  her  way,  I'll  warrant  that;  but 
your  solid  make-up,  your  pluck  and  grit  and 
perseverance  is  the  Rawdon  in  you.  Without 
Eawdon  you  would  very  likely  now  be  strut 
ting  about  some  opera  stage,  playing  at  kings 
and  lovemaking. " 

"  As  it  is " 

"  As  it  is,  you  will  be  lord  consort  of  Raw 
don  Manor,  with  a  silver  mine  to  back  you." 

"  I  am  sorry  about  the  Manor,"  said  Tyr 
rel.  "  I  wish  the  dear  old  Squire  were  alive 
to  meet  Ethel  and  myself." 

"  To  be  sure  you  do.  But  I  dare  say  that 
he  is  glad  now  to  have  passed  out  of  it. 
Death  is  a  mystery  to  those  left,  but  I  have 
no  doubt  it  is  satisfying  to  those  who  have 
gone  away.  He  died  as  he  lived,  very  prop- 


268  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

erly;  walked  in  the  garden  that  morning  as 
far  as  the  strawberry  beds,  and  the  gardener 
gave  him  the  first  ripe  half-dozen  in  a  young 
cabbage  leaf,  and  he  ate  them  like  a  boy,  and 
said  they  tasted  as  if  grown  in  Paradise, 
then  strolled  home  and  asked  Joel  to  shake 
the  pillows  on  the  sofa  in  the  hall,  laid  him 
self  down,  shuffled  his  head  easy  among  them, 
and  fell  on  sleep.  So  Death  the  Deliverer 
found  him.  A  good  going  home !  Nothing  to 
fear  in  it." 

"  Ethel  tells  me  that  Mr.  Mostyn  is  now 
living  at  Mostyn  Hall." 

"  Yes,  he  married  that  girl  he  would  have 
sold  his  soul  for  and  took  her  there,  four 
months  only  after  her  husband's  death. 
When  I  was  young  he  durst  not  have  done  it, 
the  Yorkshire  gentry  would  have  cut  them 
both." 

"  I  think,"  said  Tyrrel,  "  American  gen 
tlemen  of  to-day  felt  much  the  same.  Will 
Madison  told  me  that  the  club  cut  him  as 
soon  as  Mrs.  Stanhope  left  her  husband.  He 
went  there  one  day  after  it  was  known,  and 
no  one  saw  him;  finally  he  walked  up  to 
McLean,  and  would  have  sat  down,  but 
McLean  said,  '  Your  company  is  not  desired, 
Mr.  Mostyn.7  Mostyn  said  something  in  re- 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  269 

ply,  and  McLean  answered  sternly,  t  Truer 
we  are  none  of  us  saints,  but  there  are  lines 
the  worst  of  us  will  not  pass;  and  if  there  is 
any  member  of  this  club  willing  to  interfere 
between  a  bridegroom  and  his  bride,  I  would 
like  to  kick  him  out  of  it.'  Mostyn  struck 
the  table  with  some  exclamation,  and  McLean 
continued,  '  Especially  when  the  wronged 
husband  is  a  gentleman  of  such  stainless 
character  and  unsuspecting  nature  as  Basil 
Stanhope — a  clergyman  also!  Oh,  the  thing 
is  beyond  palliation  entirely!  '  And  he 
walked  away  and  left  Mostyn." 

"  Well,"  said  Madam,  "  if  it  came  to  kick 
ing,  two  could  play  that  game.  Fred  is  no 
coward.  I  don't  want  to  hear  another  word 
about  them.  They  will  punish  each  other 
without  our  help.  Let  them  alone.  I  hope 
you  are  not  going  to  have  a  crowd  at  your 
wedding.  The  quietest  weddings  are  the 
luckiest  ones." 

' '  About  twenty  of  our  most  intimate  friends 
are  invited  to  the  church,"  said  Ethel. 
"  There  will  be  no  reception  until  we  return 
to  New  York  in  the  fall." 

"  No  need  of  fuss  here,  there  will  be  enough 
when  you  reach  Monk-Eawdon.  The  village 
will  be  garlanded  and  flagged,  the  bells  ring- 


'270  THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

ing,  and  all  your  tenants  and  retainers  out  to 
meet  you." 

"  We  intend  to  get  into  our  own  home  with 
out  anyone  being  aware  of  it.  Come,  Tyrrel, 
my  dressmaker  is  waiting,  I  know.  It  is  my 
wedding  gown,  dear  Granny,  and  oh,  so 
lovely! ' 

"  You  will  not  be  any  smarter  than  I  in 
tend  to  be,  miss.  You  are  shut  off  from  color. 
I  can  outdo  you." 

' l  I  am  sure  you  can — and  will.  Here  comes 
father.  What  can  he  want?  '  They  met  him 
at  the  door,  and  with  a  few  laughing  words 
left  him  with  Madam.  She  looked  curiously 
into  his  face  and  asked,  "  What  is  it,  Ed 
ward?  " 

"  I  suppose  they  have  told  you  all  the  ar 
rangements.  They  are  very  simple.  Did  they 
say  anything  about  Ruth?  ' 

"  They  never  named  her.  They  said  they 
were  going  to  Washington  for  a  week,  and 
then  to  Rawdon  Court.  Ruth  seems  out  of  it 
all.  Are  you  going  to  turn  her  adrift,  or  pre 
sent  her  with  a  few  thousand  dollars?  She 
has  been  a  mother  to  Ethel.  Something  ought 
to  be  done  for  Ruth  Bayard." 

"  I  intend  to  marry  her." 

"  I  thought  so." 


THE  MAN"  BETWEEN  271 

"  She  will  go  to  her  sister's  in  Philadelphia 
for  a  month's  preparation.  I  shall  marry  her 
there,  and  bring  her  home  as  my  wife.  She 
is  a  sweet,  gentle,  docile  woman.  She  will 
make  me  happy." 

"  Sweet,  gentle,  docile!  Yes,  that  is  the 
style  of  wife  Eawdon  men  prefer.  What  does 
Ethel  say?" 

"  She  is  delighted.  It  was  her  idea.  I  was 
much  pleased  with  her  thoughtfulness.  Any 
serious  break  in  my  life  would  now  be  a  great 
discomfort.  You  need  not  look  so  satirical, 
mother;  I  thought  of  Ruth's  life  also." 

"  Also  an  afterthought;  but  Ruth  is  gentle 
and  docile,  and  she  is  satisfied,  and  I  am  sat 
isfied,  so  then  everything  is  proper  and  every 
one  content.  Come  for  me  at  ten  on  Wednes 
day  morning.  I  shall  be  ready.  No  refresh 
ments,  I  suppose.  I  must  look  after  my  own 
breakfast.  Won't  you  feel  a  bit  shabby,  Ed 
ward?  '  And  then  the  look  and  handclasp 
between  them  turned  every  word  into  sweet 
ness  and  good-will. 

And  as  Ethel  regarded  her  marriage  rather 
as  a  religious  rite  than  a  social  function,  she 
objected  to  its  details  becoming  in  any  sense 
public,  and  her  desires  were  to  be  regarded. 
Yet  everyone  may  imagine  the  white  loveli- 


272  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

ness  of  the  bride,  the  joy  of  the  bridegroom, 
the  calm  happiness  of  the  family  breakfast, 
and  the  leisurely,  quiet  leave-taking.  The 
whole  ceremony  was  the  right  note  struck  at 
the  beginning  of  a  new  life,  and  they  might 
justly  expect  it  would  move  onward  in  melo 
dious  sequence. 

Within  three  weeks  after  their  marriage 
they  arrived  at  Rawdon  Court.  It  was  on  a 
day  and  at  an  hour  when  no  one  was  looking 
for  them,  and  they  stepped  into  the  lovely 
home  waiting  for  them  without  outside  ob 
servation.  Hiring  a  carriage  at  the  railway 
station,  they  dismissed  it  at  the  little  bridge 
near  the  Manor  House,  and  sauntered  hap 
pily  through  the  intervening  space.  The 
door  of  the  great  hall  stood  open,  and  the 
fire,  which  had  been  burning  on  its  big  hearth 
unquenched  for  more  than  three  hundred 
years,  was  blazing  merrily,  as  if  some  hand 
had  just  replenished  it.  On  the  long  table 
the  broad,  white  beaver  hat  of  the  dead 
Squire  was  lying,  and  his  oak  walking  stick 
was  beside  it.  No  one  had  liked  to  remove 
them.  They  remained  just  as  he  had  put 
them  down,  that  last,  peaceful  morning  of  his 
life. 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  273 

In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  household  was 
aware  of  their  home-coming,  and  before  the 
day  was  over  the  whole  neighborhood.  Then 
there  was  no  way  of  avoiding  the  calls,  the 
congratulations,  and  the  entertainments  that 
followed,  and  the  old  Court  was  once  more 
the  center  of  a  splendid  hospitality.  Of 
course  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons  were  first  on  the 
scene,  and  Ethel  was  genuinely  glad  to  meet 
again  the  good-natured  Mrs.  Nicholas.  No 
one  could  give  her  better  local  advice,  and 
Ethel  quickly  discovered  that  the  best  gen 
eral  social  laws  require  a  local  interpreta 
tion.  Her  hands  were  full,  her  heart  full,  she 
had  so  many  interests  to  share,  so  many  peo 
ple  to  receive  and  to  visit,  and  yet  when  two 
weeks  passed  and  Dora  neither  came  nor 
wrote  she  was  worried  and  dissatisfied. 

"  Are  the  Mostyns  at  the  Hall?  "  she  asked 
Mrs.  Nicholas  at  last.  "  I  have  been  expect 
ing  Mrs.  Mostyn  every  day,  but  she  neither 
comes  nor  writes  to  me." 

"  I  dare  say  not.  Poor  little  woman!  I'll 
warrant  she  has  been  forbid  to  do  either.  If 
Mostyn  thought  she  wanted  to  see  you,  he 
would  watch  day  and  night  to  prevent  her 
coming.  He's  turning  out  as  cruel  a  man  as 


274  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

Ms  father  was,  and  you  need  not  say  a  word 
worse  than  that." 

"  Cruel!  Oh,  dear,  how  dreadful!  Men 
will  drink  and  cheat  and  swear,  but  a  cruel 
man  seems  so  unnatural,  so  wicked. ' ' 

"To  be  sure,  cruelty  is  the  joy  of  devils. 
As  I  said  to  John  Thomas  when  we  heard 
about  Mostyn's  goings-on,  we  have  got  rid  of 
the  Wicked  One,  but  the  wicked  still  remain 
with  us." 

This  conversation  having  been  opened,  was 
naturally  prolonged  by  the  relation  of  inci 
dents  which  had  come  through  various  sources 
to  Mrs.  Rawdon's  ears,  all  of  them  indicating 
an  almost  incredible  system  of  petty  tyranny 
and  cruel  contradiction.  Ethel  was  amazed, 
and  finally  angry  at  what  she  heard.  Dora 
was  her  countrywoman  and  her  friend;  she 
instantly  began  to  express  her  sympathy  and 
her  intention  of  interfering. 

"  You  had  better  neither  meddle  nor  make 
in  the  matter,"  answered  Mrs.  Rawdon. 
"  Our  Lucy  went  to  see  her,  and  gave  her 
some  advice  about  managing  Yorkshiremen. 
And  as  she  was  talking  Mostyn  came  in,  and 
was  as  rude  as  he  dared  to  be.  Then  Lucy 
asked  him  '  if  he  was  sick.'  She  said,  l  All 
the  men  in  the  neighborhood,  gentle  and  sijaa- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  275 

pie,  were  talking  about  him,  and  that  it  wasn't 
a  pleasant  thing  to  be  talked  about  in  the  way 
they  were  doing  it.  You  must  begin  to  look 
more  like  yourself,  Mr.  Mostyn;  it  is  good 
advice  I  am  giving  you/  she  added;  and  Mos 
tyn  told  her  he  would  look  as  he  felt,  whether 
it  was  liked  or  not  liked.  And  Lucy  laughed, 
and  said,  *  In  that  case  he  would  have  to  go 
to  his  looking-glass  for  company.'  "Well, 
Ethel,  there  was  a  time  to  joy  a  devil  after 
Lucy  left,  and  some  one  of  the  servants  went 
on  their  own  responsibility  for  a  doctor;  and 
Mostyn  ordered  him  out  of  the  house,  and  he 
would  not  go  until  he  saw  Mrs.  Mostyn;  and 
the  little  woman  was  forced  to  come  and  say 
'  she  was  quite  well,'  though  she  was  sobbing 
all  the  time  she  spoke.  Then  the  doctor  told 
Mostyn  what  he  thought,  and  there  is  a  quar 
rel  between  them  every  time  they  meet." 

But  Ethel  was  not  deterred  by  these  state 
ments;  on  the  contrary,  they  stimulated  her 
interest  in  her  friend.  Dora  needed  her,  and 
the  old  feeling  of  protection  stirred  her  to  in 
terference.  At  any  rate,  she  could  call  and 
see  the  unhappy  woman;  and  though  Tyrrel 
was  opposed  to  the  visit,  and  thought  it  every 
way  unwise,  Ethel  was  resolved  to  make  it. 
"  You  can  drive  me  there,"  she  said,  "  then 


276  THE  MAN   BETWEEN 

go  and  see  Justice  Manningham  and  call  for 
me  in  half  an  hour.  And  this  resolution 
was  strengthened  by  a  pitiful  little  note  re 
ceived  from  Dora  just  after  her  decision. 
"  Mostyn  has  gone  to  Thirsk,"  it  said;  "  for 
pity's  sake  come  and  see  me  about  two  o'clock 
this  afternoon." 

The  request  was  promptly  answered.  As 
the«clock  struck  two  Ethel  crossed  the  thresh 
old  of  the  home  that  might  have  been  hers. 
She  shuddered  at  the  thought.  The  atmos 
phere  of  the  house  was  full  of  fear  and 
gloom,  the  furniture  dark  and  shabby,  and 
she  fancied  the  wraiths  of  old  forgotten 
crimes  and  sorrows  were  gliding  about  the 
sad,  dim  rooms  and  stairways.  Dora  rose  in 
a  passion  of  tears  to  welcome  her,  and  be 
cause  time  was  short  instantly  began  her  piti 
ful  story. 

"  You  know  how  he  adored  me  once,"  she 
said;  "  would  you  believe  it,  Ethel,  we  were 
not  two  weeks  married  when  he  began  to 
hate  me.  He  dragged  me  through  Europe  in 
blazing  heat  and  blinding  snows  when  I  was 
sick  and  unfit  to  move.  He  brought  me  here 
in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  when  no  one 
called  on  us  he  blamed  me ;  and  from  morn 
ing  till  night,  and  sometimes  all  night  long, 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  277 

he  taunts  and  torments  me.  After  he  heard 
that  you  had  bought  the  Manor  he  lost  all 
control  of  himself.  He  will  not  let  me  sleep. 
He  walks  the  floor  hour  after  hour,  declaring 
he  could  have  had  you  and  the  finest  manor  in 
England  but  for  a  cat-faced  woman  like  me. 
And  he  blames  me  for  poor  Basil's  death — 
says  we  murdered  him  together,  and  that  he 
sees  blood  on  my  hands."  And  she  looked 
with  terror  at  her  small,  thin  hands,  and  held 
them  up  as  if  to  protest  against  the  charge. 
When  she  next  spoke  it  was  to  sob  out,  "  Poor 
Basil!  He  would  pity  me!  He  would  help 
me!  He  would  forgive  me!  He  knows  now 
that  Mostyn  was,  and  is,  my  evil  genius." 

"  Do  not  cry  so  bitterly,  Dora,  it  hurts  me. 
Let  us  think.  Is  there  nothing  you  can  do?  " 

"  I  want  to  go  to  mother."  Then  she  drew 
Ethel's  head  close  to  her  and  whispered  a 
few  words,  and  Ethel  answered,  "  You  poor 
little  one,  you  shall  go  to  your  mother.  Where 
is  she?  "  " 

"  She  will  be  in  London  next  week,  and  I 
must  see  her.  He  will  not  let  me  go,  but  go 
I  must  if  I  die  for  it.  Mrs.  John  Thomas 
Eawdon  told  me  what  to  do,  and  I  have  been 
following  her  advice." 

Ethel  did  not  ask  what  it  was,  but  added, 


278  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  If  Tyrrel  and  I  can  help  you,  send  for  us. 
We  will  come.  And,  Dora,  do  stop  weeping, 
and  be  brave.  Remember  you  are  an  Ameri 
can  woman.  Your  father  has  often  told  me 
how  you  could  ride  with  Indians  or  cowboys 
and  shoot  with  any  miner  in  Colorado.  A 
bully  like  Mostyn  is  always  a  coward.  Lift 
up  your  heart  and  stand  for  every  one  of  your 
rights.  You  will  find  plenty  of  friends  to 
stand  with  you."  And  with  the  words  she 
took  her  by  the  hands  and  raised  her  to  her 
feet,  and  looked  at  her  with  such  a  beaming, 
courageous  smile  that  Dora  caught  its  spirit, 
and  promised  to  insist  on  her  claims  for  rest 
and  sleep. 

"  When  shall  I  come  again,  Dora?  ' 

"  Not  till  I  send  for  you.  Mother  will  be 
in  London  next  Wednesday  at  the  Savoy.  I 
intend  to  leave  here  Wednesday  some  time, 
and  may  need  you;  will  you  come?  ' 

"  Surely,  both  Tyrrel  and  I." 

Then  the  time  being  on  a  dangerous  line 
they  parted.  But  Ethel  could  think  of  noth 
ing  and  talk  of  nothing  but  the  frightful 
change  in  her  friend,  and  the  unceasing  mis 
ery  which  had  produced  it.  Tyrrel  shared  all 
her  indignation.  The  slow  torture  of  any 
creature  was  an  intolerable  crime  in  his  eyes, 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  279 

but  when  the  brutality  was  exercised  on  a 
woman,  and  on  a  countrywoman,  he  was 
roused  to  the  highest  pitch  of  indignation. 
When  Wednesday  arrived  he  did  not  leave 
the  house,  but  waited  with  Ethel  for  the  mes 
sage  they  confidently  expected.  It  came 
about  five  o'clock — urgent,  imperative,  en 
treating,  "  Come,  for  God's  sake!  He  will 
kill  me." 

The  carriage  was  ready,  and  in  half  an 
hour  they  were  at  Mostyn  Hall.  No  one  an 
swered  their  summons,  but  as  they  stood 
listening  and  waiting,  a  shrill  cry  of  pain 
and  anger  pierced  the  silence.  It  was  fol 
lowed  by  loud  voices  and  a  .confused  noise — 
noise  of  many  talking  and  exclaiming.  Then 
Tyrrel  no  longer  hesitated.  He  opened  the 
door  easily,  and  taking  Ethel  on  his  arm, 
suddenly  entered  the  parlor  from  which  the 
clamor  came.  Dora  stood  in  the  center  of 
the  room  like  an  enraged  pythoness,  her  eyes 
blazing  with  passion. 

"  See!"  she  cried  as  Tyrrel  entered  the 
room — "  see! '  And  she  held  out  her  arm, 
and  pointed  to  her  shoulder  from  which  the 
lace  hung  in  shreds,  showing  the  white  flesh, 
red  and  bruised,  where  Mostyn  had  gripped 
her.  Then  Tyrrel  turned  to  Mostyn,  who 


280  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

- 

was  held  tightly  in  the  grasp  of  his  gardener 
and  coachman,  and  foaming  with  a  rage  that 
rendered  his  explanation  almost  inarticulate, 
especially  as  the  three  women  servants  gath 
ered  around  their  mistress  added  their  rail 
ing  and  invectives  to  the  general  confusion. 

"  The  witch!  The  cat-faced  woman!  "  he 
screamed.  "  She  wants  to  go  to  her  mother! 
Wants  to  play  the  trick  she  killed  Basil  Stan 
hope  with !  She  shall  not !  She  shall  not !  I 
will  kill  her  first !  She  is  mad !  I  will  sencl 
her  to  an  asylum!  She  is  a  little  devil!  I 
will  send  her  to  hell !  Nothing  is  bad  enough 
— nothing ' ' 

"  Mr.  Mostyn,"  said  Tyrrel. 

"  Out  of  my  house!  What  are  you  doing 
here?  Away!  This  is  my  house!  Out  of  it 
immediately!  ' 

"  This  man  is  insane, "  said  Tyrrel  to  Dora. 
"  Put  on  your  hat  and  cloak,  and  come  home 
with  us." 

"  I  am  waiting  for  Justice  Manningham," 
she  answered  with  a  calm  subsidence  of  pas 
sion  that  angered  Mostyn  more  than  her  re 
proaches.  "  I  have  sent  for  him.  He  will  be 
here  in  five  minutes  now.  That  brute  " — 
pointing  to  Mostyn — "  must  be  kept  under 
guard  till  I  reach  my  mother.  The  magis- 


"  She  shall  not !     She  shall  not !    I  will  kill  her  first."     Page  280. 


THE  MAN"  BETWEEN  281 

trate  will  bring  a  couple  of  constables  with 
Him." 

' '  This  is  a  plot,  then !  You  hear  it !  You ! 
You,  Tyrrel  Rawdon,  and  you,  Saint  Ethel, 
i  are  in  it,  all  here  on  time.  A  plot,  I  say !  Let 
me  loose  that  I  may  strangle  the  cat-faced 
creature.  Look  at  her  hands,  they  are  al 
ready  bloody!  ' 

At  these  words  Dora  began  to  sob  pas 
sionately,  the  servants,  one  and  all,  to  com 
fort  her,  or  to  abuse  Mostyn,  and  in  the 
height  of  the  hubbub  Justice  Manningham 
entered  with  two  constables  behind  him. 

"  Take  charge  of  Mr.  Mostyn,"  he  said  to 
them,  and  as  they  laid  their  big  hands  on  his 
shoulders  the  Justice  added,  "  You  will  con 
sider  yourself  under  arrest,  Mr.  Mostyn."" 

And  when  nothing  else  could  cow  Mostyn, 
he  was  cowed  by  the  law.  He  sank  almost 
fainting  into  his  chair,  and  the  Justice  lis 
tened  to  Dora's  story,  and  looked  indignantly 
at  the  brutal  man,  when  she  showed  him  her 
torn  dress  and  bruised  shoulder.  "  I  entreat 
your  Honor,"  she  said,  "  to  permit  me  to  go 
to  my  mother  who  is  now  in  London."  And 
he  answered  kindly,  "  You  shall  go.  You 
are  in  a  condition  only  a  mother  can  help  and 
comfort.  As  soon  as  I  have  taken  your  depo 
sition  you  shall  go." 


282  THE   MAX   BETWEEN 

No  one  paid  any  attention  to  Mostyn's  dis 
claimers  and  denials.  The  Justice  saw  the 
state  of  affairs.  Squire  Rawdon  and  Mrs. 
Rawdon  testified  to  Dora's  ill-usage;  the  but 
ler,  the  coachman,  the  stablemen,  the  cook, 
the  housemaids  were  all  eager  to  bear  wit 
ness  to  the  same;  and  Mrs.  Mostyn's  appear 
ance  was  too  eloquent  a  plea  for  any  humane 
man  to  deny  her  the  mother-help  she  asked 
for. 

Though  neighbors  and  members  of  the 
same  hunt  and  clubs,  the  Justice  took  no 
more  friendly  notice  of  Mostyn  than  he 
would  have  taken  of  any  wife-beating  cotton- 
weaver;  and  when  all  lawful  preliminaries 
had  been  arranged,  he  told  Mrs.  Mostyn  that 
he  should  not  take  up  Mr.  Mostyn's  case  till 
Friday;  and  in  the  interval  she  would  have 
time  to  put  herself  under  her  mother's  care. 
She  thanked  him,  weeping,  and  in  her  old, 
pretty  way  kissed  his  hands,  and  "  vowed  he 
had  saved  her  life,  and  she  would  forever  re 
member  Ms  goodness."  Mostyn  mocked  at 
her  "  play-acting,"  and  was  sternly  reproved 
by  the  Justice;  and  then  Tyrrel  and  Ethel 
took  charge  of  Mrs.  Mostyn  until  she  was 
ready  to  leave  for  London. 

She  was  more  nearly  ready  than  they  ex- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  283 

pected.  All  her  trunks  were  packed,  and  the 
butler  promised  to  take  them  immediately  to 
the  railway  station.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
she  appeared  in  traveling  costume,  with  her 
jewels  in  a  bag,  which  she  carried  in  her  hand. 
There  was  a  train  for  London  passing  Monk- 
Rawdon  at  eight  o'clock;  and  after  Justice 
Manningham  had  left,  the  cook  brought  in 
some  dinner,  which  Dora  asked  the  Rawdons 
to  share  with  her.  It  was,  perhaps,  a  neces 
sary  but  a  painful  meal.  No  one  noticed 
Mostyn.  He  was  enforced  to  sit  still  and 
watch  its  progress,  which  he  accompanied 
with  curses  it  would  be  a  kind  of  sacrilege  to 
write  down.  But  no  one  answered  him,  and 
no  one  noticed  the  orders  he  gave  for  his  own 
dinner,  until  Dora  rose  to  leave  forever  the 
house  of  bondage.  Then  she  said  to  the  cook : 

"  See  that  those  gentlemanly  constables 
have  something  good  to  eat  and  to  drink,  and 
when  they  have  been  served  you  may  give 
that  man  " — pointing  to  Mostyn — "  the  din 
ner  of  bread  and  water  he  has  so  often  pre 
scribed  for  me.  After  my  train  leaves  you 
are  all  free  to  go  to  your  own  homes.  Fare 
well,  friends!  ' 

Then  Mostyn  raved  again,  and  finally  tried 
his  old  loving  terms.  "  Come  back  to  me, 


284  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

Dora,"  lie  called  frantically.  "  Come  back, 
dearest,  sweetest  Dora,  I  will  be  your  lover 
forever.  I  will  never  say  another  cross  word 
to  you." 

But  Dora  heard  not  and  saw  not.  She  left 
the  room  without  a  glance  at  the  man  sitting 
cowering  between  the  officers,  and  blubbering 
with  shame  and  passion  and  the  sense  of 
total  loss.  In  a  few  minutes  he  heard  the 
Rawdon  carriage  drive  to  the  door.  Tyrrel 
and  Ethel  assisted  Dora  into  it,  and  the  party 
drove  at  once  to  the  railway  station.  They 
were  just  able  to  catch  the  London  train. 
The  butler  came  up  to  report  all  the  trunks 
safely  forwarded,  and  Dora  dropped  gold 
into  his  hand,  and  bade  him  clear  the  house  of 
servants  as  soon  as  the  morning  broke.  For 
tunately  there  was  no  time  for  last  words  and 
promises ;  the  train  began  to  move,  and  Tyr 
rel  and  Ethel,  after  watching  Dora's  white 
face  glide  into  the  darkness,  turned  silently 
away.  That  depression  which  so  often  fol 
lows  the  lifting  of  burdens  not  intended  for 
our  shoulders  weighed  on  their  hearts  and 
made  speech  difficult.  Tyrrel  was  especially 
affected  by  it.  A  quick  feeling  of  something 
like  sympathy  for  Mostyn  would  not  be  rea 
soned  away,  and  he  drew  Ethel  close  within 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  285 

his  arm,  and  gave  the  coachman  an  order  to 
drive  home  as  quickly  as  possible,  for  twi 
light  was  already  becoming  night,  and  under 
the  trees  the  darkness  felt  oppressive. 

The  little  fire  on  the  hearth  and  their  be 
lated  dinner  somewhat  relieved  the  tension; 
but  it  was  not  until  they  had  retired  to  a 
small  parlor,  and,  Tyrrel  had  smoked  a  cigar, 
that  the  tragedy  of  the  evening  became  a 
possible  topic  of  conversation.  Tyrrel  opened 
the  subject  by  a  question  as  to  whether  "  he 
ought  to  have  gone  with  Dora  to  London." 

"  Dora  opposed  the  idea  strongly  when  I 
named  it  to  her,"  answered  Ethel.  "  She  said 
it  would  give  opportunities  for  Mostyn  to 
slander  both  herself  and  you,  and  I  think  she 
was  correct.  Every  way  she  was  best  alone." 

"  Perhaps,  but  I  feel  as  if  I  ought  to  have 
gone,  as  if  I  had  been  something  less  than  a 
gentleman ;  in  fact,  as  if  1  had  been  very  un 
gentle." 

"  There  is  no  need,"  answered  Ethel  a  little 
coldly. 

"  It  is  a  terrible  position  for  Mostyn." 

"  He  deserves  it." 

"  He  is  so  sensitive  about  public  opinion." 

"  In  that  case  he  should  behave  decently  in 
private." 


286  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

Then  Tyrrel  lit  another  cigar,  and  there 
was  another  silence,  which  Ethel  occupied  in 
irritating  thoughts  of  Dora's  unfortunate 
fatality  in  trouble-making.  She  sat  at  a 
little  table  standing  between  herself  and  Tyr 
rel.  It  held  his  smoking  utensils,  and  after 
awhile  she  pushed  them  aside,  and  let  the 
splendid  rings  which  adorned  her  hand  fall 
into  the  cleared  space.  Tyrrel  watched  her 
a  few  moments,  and  then  asked,  "  What  are 
you  doing,  Ethel,  my  dear?  ' 

She  looked  up  with  a  smile,  and  then  down 
at  the  hand  she  had  laid  open  upon  the  table. 
"  I  am  looking  at  the  Ring  of  all  Rings. 
See,  Tyrrel,  it  is  but  a  little  band  of  gold,  and 
yet  it  gave  me  more  than  all  the  gems  of  earth 
could  buy.  Rubies  and  opals  and  sapphires 
are  only  its  guard.  The  simple  wedding  ring 
is  the  ring  of  great  price.  It  is  the  loveliest 
ornament  a  happy  v/oman  can  wear." 

Tyrrel  took  he:  hand  and  kissed  it,  and 
kissed  the  golden  band,  and  then  answered, 
"  Truly  an  onrjnent  if  a  happy  wife  wears 
it;  but  oh,  Ettiel,  what  is  it  when  it  binds  a 
woman  to  such  misery  as  Dora  has  just  fled 
from?  " 

"  Then  it  is  a  fetter,  and  a  woman  who  has 
a  particle  of  self-respect  will  break  it.  The 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  287 

Ring  of  all  Rings  1  "  she  ejaculated  again,  as 
she  lifted  the  rubies  and  opals,  and  slowly 
but  smilingly  encircled  the  little  gold  band. 

"  Let  us  try  now  to  forget  that  sorrowful 
woman,"  said  Tyrrel.  "  She  will  be  with 
her  mother  in  a  few  hours.  Mother-love  can 
cure  all  griefs.  It  never  fails.  It  never 
blames.  It  never  grows  weary.  It  is  always 
young  and  warm  and  true.  Dora  will  be 
comforted.  Let  us  forget;  we  can  do  no 


more. ' 


For  a  couple  of  days  this  was  possible,  but 
then  came  Mrs.  Nicholas  Rawdon,  and  the 
subject  was  perforce  opened.  "  It  was  a  bad 
case,"  she  said,  "  but  it  is  being  settled  as 
quickly  and  as  quietly  as  possible.  I  believe 
the  man  has  entered  into  some  sort  of  recog 
nizance  to  keep  the  peace,  and  has  disap 
peared.  No  one  will  look  for  him.  The  gen- 
try  are  against  pulling  one  another  down  in 
any  way,  and  this  affair  they  don't  want 
talked  about.  Being  all  of  them  married 
men,  it  isn't  to  be  expected,  is  it?  Justice 
Manningham  was  very  sorry  for  the  little 
lady,  but  he  said  also  '  it  was  a  bad  prece 
dent,  and  ought  not  to  be  discussed.'  And 
Squire  Bentley  said,  *  If  English  gentlemen 
would  marry  American  women,  they  must 


288  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

put  up  with  American  women's  ways,'  and 
so  on.  None  of  them  think  it  prudent  to  ap 
prove  Mrs.  Mostyn's  course.  But  they  won't 
get  off  as  easy  as  they  think.  The  women  are 
standing  up  for  her.  Did  you  ever  hear  any 
thing  like  that?  And  I'll  warrant  some  hus 
bands  are  none  so  easy  in  their  minds,  as 
my  Nicholas  said,  l  Mrs.  Mostyn  had  sown 
seed  that  would  be  seen  and  heard  tell  of  for 
many  a  long  day. '  Our  Lucy,  I  suspect,  had 
more  to  do  with  the  move  than  she  will  con 
fess.  She  got  a  lot  of  new,  queer  notions  at 
college,  and  I  do  believe  in  my  heart  she  set 
the  poor  woman  up  to  the  business.  John 
Thomas,  of  course,  says  not  a  word,  but  he 
looks  at  Lucy  in  a  very  proud  kind  of  way; 
and  I'll  be  bound  he  has  got  an  object  lesson 
he'll  remember  as  long  as  he  lives.  So  has 
Nicholas,  though  he  bluffs  more  than  a  little 
as  to  what  he'd  do  with  a  wife  that  got  a  run- 
ning-away  notion  into  her  head.  Bless  you, 
dear,  they  are  all  formulating  their  laws  on 
the  subject,  and  their  wives  are  smiling 
queerly  at  them,  and  holding  their  heads  a 
bit  higher  than  usual.  I've  been  doing  it 
myself,  so  I  know  how  they  feel." 

Thus,  though  very  little  was  said  in  the 
newspapers  about  the  affair,  the  notoriety 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  289 

Mostyn  dreaded  was  complete  and  thorough. 
It  was  the  private  topic  of  conversation  in 
every  household.  Men  talked  it  over  in  all 
the  places  where  men  met,  and  women  hired 
the  old  Mostyn  servants  in  order  to  get  the 
very  surest  and  latest  story  of  the  poor  wife's 
wrongs,  and  then  compared  reports  and  even 
discussed  the  circumstances  in  their  own  par 
ticular  clubs. 

At  the  Court,  Tyrrel  and  Ethel  tried  to  for 
get,  and  their  own  interests  were  so  many 
and  so  important  that  they  usually  suc 
ceeded;  especially  after  a  few  lines  from 
Mrs.  Denning  assured  them  of  Dora's  safety 
and  comfort.  And  for  many  weeks  the  busy 
life  of  the  Manor  sufficed ;  there  was  the  hay 
to  cut  in  the  meadow  lands,  and  after  it  the 
wheat  fields  to  harvest.  The  stables,  the  ken 
nels,  the  farms  and  timber,  the  park  and  the 
garden  kept  Tyrrel  constantly  busy.  And 
to  these  duties  were  added  the  social  ones,, 
the  dining  and  dancing  and  entertaining,  the 
horse  racing,  the  regattas,  and  the  enthu 
siasm  which  automobiling  in  its  first  fever 
engenders. 

And  yet  there  were  times  when  Tyrrel 
looked  bored,  and  when  nothing  but  Squire 
Fercival's  organ  or  Ethel's  piano  seemed  to 


290  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

exorcise  the  unrest  and  ennui  that  could  not 
be  hid.  Ethel  watched  these  moods  with  a 
wise  and  kind  curiosity,  and  in  the  beginning 
of  September,  when  they  perceptibly  in 
creased,  she  asked  one  day,  "  Are  you  happy, 
Tyrrel?  Quite  happy?  "' 

"  I  am  having  a  splendid  holiday,"  he  an 
swered,  "  but " 

"  But  what,  dear?  " 

'  One  could  not  turn  life  into  a  long  holi 
day—that  would  be  harder  than  the  hardest 
work." 

She  answered  "  Yes,"  and  as  soon  as  she 
was  alone  fell  to  thinking,  and  in  the  midst 
of  her  meditation  Mrs.  Nicholas  Eawdon  en 
tered  in  a  whirl  of  tempestuous  delight. 

'  What  do  you  think?  "  she  asked  between 
laughing  and  crying.  "  Whatever  do  you 
think?  Our  Lucy  had  twins  yesterday,  two 
fine  boys  as  ever  was.  And  I  wish  you  could 
see  their  grandfather  and  their  father.  They 
are  out  of  themselves  with  joy.  They  stand 
hour  after  hour  beside  the  two  cradles,  look 
ing  at  the  little  fellows,  and  they  nearly  came 
to  words  this  morning  about  their  names." 

'  I  am  so  delighted!  "  cried  Ethel.  "And 
what  are  you  going  to  call  them?  " 

'  One  is  an  hour  older  than  the  other,  and 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN 


291 


John  Thomas  wanted  them  called  Percival 
and  Nicholas.    But  my  Nicholas  wanted  the 
eldest  caUed  after  himself,  and  he  said  so 
plain  enough.     And  John  Thomas  said  '  he 
could  surely  name  his  own  sons;  and  then 
Nicholas  told  him  to  remember  he  wouldn't 
have  been  here  to  have  any  sons  at  all  but 
for  his  father/    And  just  then  I  came  into 
the  room  to  have  a  look  at  the  little  lads,  and 
when  I  heard  what  they  were  f  ratching  about, 
I  told  them  it  was  none  of  their  business,  that 
Lucy  had  the  right  to  name  the  children,  and 
they  would  just  have  to  put  up  with  the 
names  she  gave  them." 

"  And  has  Lucy  named  them?  ' 
"  To  be  sure.     I  went  right  away  to  her 
and  explained  the  dilemma,  and  I  said, '  Now, 
Lucy,  it  is  your  place  to  settle  this  question.' 
And  she  answered  in  her  positive  little  way, 
'You  tell  father  the  eldest  is  to  be  called 
Nicholas,  and  teU  John  Thomas  the  youngest 
is  to  be  called  John  Thomas.    I  can  manage 
two  of  that  name  very  well.    And  say  that  ] 
won't  have  any  more  disputing  about  names, 
the  boys  are  as  good  as  christened  already.' 
And  of  course  when  Lucy  said  that  we  all 
knew  it  was  settled.    And  I'm  glad  the  eldest 
is  Nicholas.    He  is  a  fine,  sturdy  little  York- 


292  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

sliireman,  bawling  out  already  for  what  lie 
wants,  and  flying  into  a  temper  if  lie  doesn't 
get  it  as  soon  as  he  wants  it.  Dearie  me, 
Ethel,  I  am  a  proud  woman  this  morning. 
And  Nicholas  is  going  to  give  all  the  hands 
a  holiday,  and  a  trip  up  to  Ambleside  on 
Saturday,  though  John  Thomas  is  very  much 
against  it." 

"  Why  is  he  against  it?  " 
'  He  says  they  will  be  holding  a  meeting 
on  Monday  night  to  try  and  find  out  what 
Old  Nicholas  is  up  to,  and  that  if  he  doesn't 
give  them  the  same  treat  on  the  same  date 
next  year,  they'll  hold  an  indignation  meet 
ing  about  being  swindled  out  of  their  rights. 
And  I'll  pledge  you  my  word  John  Thomas 
knows  the  men  he's  talking  about.  However, 
Nicholas  is  close  with  his  money,  and  it  will 
do  him  good  happen  to  lose  a  bit.  Blood-let 
ting  is  healthy  for  the  body,  and  perhaps 
gold-letting  may  help  the  soul  more  than  we 
think  for." 

This  news  stimulated  Ethel's  thinking,  and 
when  she  also  stood  "beside  the  two  cradles, 
and  the  little  Nicholas  opened  his  big  blue 
eyes  and  began  to  "  bawl  for  what  he  wanted," 
a  certain  idea  took  fast  hold  of  her,  and  she 
nursed  it  silently  for  the  next  month,  watch- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  293 

ing  Tyrrel  at  the  same  time.  It  was  near 
October,  however,  before  she  found  the 
proper  opportunity  for  speaking.  There 
had  been  a  long  letter  from  the  Judge.  It 
said  Ruth  and  he  were  home  again  after  a 
wonderful  trip  over  the  Northern  Pacific 
road.  He  wrote  with  enthusiasm  of  the 
country  and  its  opportunities,  and  of  the  big 
cities  they  had  visited  on  their  return  from 
the  Pacific  coast.  Every  word  was  alive,  the 
magnitude  and  stir  of  traffic  and  wrestling 
humanity  seemed  to  rustle  the  paper.  He 
described  New  York  as  overflowing  with  busi 
ness.  His  own  plans,  the  plans  of  others,  the 
jar  of  politics,  the  thrill  of  music  and  the 
drama— all  the  multitudinous  vitality  that 
crowded  the  streets  and  filled  the  air,  even 
to  the  roofs  of  the  twenty-story  buildings, 
contributed  to  the  potent  exhilaration  of  the 
letter. 

"Great  George!'  exclaimed  Tyrrel. 
"  That  is  life!  That  is  living!  I  wish  we 
were  back  in  America!  ' 

"  So  do  I,  Tyrrel." 

"  I  am  so  glad.  When  shall  we  go?  It  is 
now  the  twenty-eighth  of  September." 

"  Are  you  very  weary  of  Rawdon  Court'?  ' 

"  Yes.    If  a  man  could  live  for  the  sake 


294  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

of  eating  and  sleeping  and  having  a  pleasant 
time,  why  Rawdon  Court  would  be  a  heaven 
to  him;  but  if  he  wants  to  do  something  with 
his  life,  he  would  be  most  unhappy  here." 
"  And  you  want  to  do  something?  ' 
"  You  would  not  have  loved  a  man  who  did 
not  want  to  do.  We  have  been  here  four 
months.  Think  of  it !  If  I  take  four  months 
out  of  every  year  for  twenty  years,  I  shall 
lose,  with  travel,  about  seven  years  of  my  life, 
and  the  other  things  to  be  dropped  with  them 
may  be  of  incalculable  value." 

"  I  see,  Tyrrel.     I  am  not  bound  in  any 
way  to  keep  Eawdon  Court.    I  can  sell  it  to 


morrow.' 


"  But  you  would  be  grieved  to  do  so?  ' 

"  Not  at  all.  Being  a  lady  of  the  Manor 
does  not  flatter  me.  The  other  squires  would 
rather  have  a  good  man  in  my  place." 

"  Why  did  you  buy  it?  " 

"  As  I  have  told  you,  to  keep  Mostyn  out, 
and  to  keep  a  Rawdon  here.  But  Nicholas 
Rawdon  craves  the  place,  and  will  pay  well 
for  his  desire.  It  cost  me  eighty  thousand 
pounds.  He  told  father  he  would  gladly  give 
me  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  whenever 
I  was  tired  of  my  bargain.  I  will  take  the 
hundred  thousand  pounds  to-morrow.  There 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  295 

would  then  be  four  good  heirs  to  Kawdon  on 
the  place." 

Here  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by 
Mrs.  Nicholas,  who  came  to  invite  them  to 
the  christening  feast  of  the  twins.  Tyrrel 
soon  left  the  ladies  together,  and  Ethel  at 
once  opened  the  desired  conversation. 

"  I  am  afraid  we  may  have  left  the  Court 
before  the  christening,"  she  said.  "  Mr.  Eaw 
don  is  very  unhappy  here.  He  is  really  home 
sick." 

"  But  this  is  his  home,  isn't  it?  And  a  very 
fine  one." 

"  He  cannot  feel  it  so.  He  has  large  inter 
ests  in  America.  I  doubt  if  I  ever  induce 
him  to  come  here  again.  You  see,  this  visit 
has  been  our  marriage  trip. ' ' 

"  And  you  won't  live  here!  I  never  heard 
the  like.  What  will  you  do  with  the  Court? 
It  will  be  badly  used  if  it  is  left  to  servants 
seven  or  eight  months  every  year." 

"  I  suppose  I  must  sell  it.    I  see  no " 

"  If  you  only  would  let  Nicholas  buy  it. 
You  might  be  sure  then  it  would  be  well 
cared  for,  and  the  little  lads  growing  up  in  it, 
who  would  finally  heir  it.*  Oh,  Ethel,  if  you 
would  think  of  Nicholas  first.  He  would 
honor  the  place  and  be  an  honor  to  it." 


296  THE  MAN  BETWEEN" 

Out  of  this  conversation  the  outcome  was 
as  satisfactory  as  it  was  certain,  and  within 
two  weeks  Nicholas  Rawdon  was  Squire  of 
Rawdon  Manor,  and  possessor  of  the  famous 
old  Manor  House.  Then  there  followed  a 
busy  two  weeks  for  Tyrrel,  who  had  the 
superintendence  of  the  packing,  which  was 
no  light  business.  For  though  Ethel  would 
not  denude  the  Court  of  its  ancient  furniture 
and  ornaments,  there  were  many  things  be 
longing  to  the  personal  estate  of  the  late 
Squire  which  had  been  given  to  her  by  his 
will,  and  could  not  be  left  behind.  But  by 
the  end  of  October  cases  and  trunks  were  all 
sent  off  to  the  steamship  in  which  their  pas 
sage  was  taken;  and  the  Rawdon  estate, 
which  had  played  such  a  momentous  part  in 
Ethel's  life  having  finished  its  mission,  had 
no  further  influence,  and  without  regret 
passed  out  of  her  physical  life  forever. 

Indeed,  their  willingness  to  resign  all 
claims  to  the  old  home  was  a  marvel  to  both 
Tyrrel  and  Ethel.  On  their  last  afternoon 
there  they  walked  through  the  garden,  and 
stood  under  the  plane  tree  where  their  vows 
of  love  had  been  pledged,  and  smiled  and 
wondered  at  their  indifference.  The  beau 
teous  glamor  of  first  love  was  gone  as  com- 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  297 

pleteiy  as  the  flowers  and  scents  and  songs 
that  had  then  filled  the  charming  place.  But 
amid  the  sweet  decay  of  these  things  they 
once  more  clasped  hands,  looking  with  su 
preme  confidence  into  each  other's  eyes.  All 
that  had  then  been  promised  was  now  cer 
tain;  and  with  an  affection  infinitely  sweeter 
and  surer,  Tyrrel  drew  Ethel  to  his  heart,  and 
on  her  lips  kissed  the  tenderest,  proudest 
words  a  woman  hears,  "  My  dear  wife!  ' 

This  visit  was  their  last  adieu,  all  the  rest 
had  been  said,  and  early  the  next  morning 
they  left  Monk-Rawdon  station  as  quietly 
as  they  had  arrived.  During  their  short 
reign  at  Rawdon  Court  they  had  been  very 
popular,  and  perhaps  their  resignation  was 
equally  so.  After  all,  they  were  foreigners, 
and  Nicholas  Rawdon  was  Yorkshire,  root 
and  branch. 

"  Nice  young  people,"  said  Justice  Man- 
ningham  at  a  hunt  dinner,  "  but  our  ways 
are  not  their  ways,  nor  like  to  be.  The  young 
man  was  born  a  fighter,  and  there  are  neither 
bears  nor  Indians  here  for  him  to  fight;  and 
our  politics  are  Greek  to  him;  and  the  lady, 
very  sweet  and  beautiful,  but  full  of  new 
ideas — ideas  not  suitable  for  women,  and  we 
do  not  wish  our  women  changed." 


298  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

"  Good  enough  as  they  are,"  mumbled 
Squire  Oakes. 

"  Nicest  Americans  I  ever  met,"  added 
Earl  Danvers,  "  but  Nicholas  Rawdon  will 
be  better  at  Rawdon  Court."  To  which 
statement  there  was  a  general  assent,  and 
then  the  subject  was  considered  settled. 

In  the  meantime  Tyrrel  and  Ethel  had 
reached  London  and  gone  to  the  Metropole 
Hotel;  because,  as  Ethel  said,  no  one  knew 
where  Dora  was;  but  if  in  England,  she  was 
likely  to  be  at  the  Savoy.  They  were  to  be 
two  days  in  London.  Tyrrel  had  banking 
and  other  business  to  fully  occupy  the  time, 
and  Ethel  remembered  she  had  some  shop 
ping  to  do,  a  thing  any  woman  would  dis 
cover  if  she  found  herself  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  Regent  Street  and  Piccadilly.  On 
the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  this  duty  was 
finished,  and  she  returned  to  her  hotel  satis 
fied  but  a  little  weary.  As  she  was  going  up 
the  steps  she  noticed  a  woman  coming  slowly 
down  them.  It  was  Dora  Mostyn.  They  met 
with  great  enthusiasm  on  Dora's  part,  and 
she  turned  back  and  went  with  Ethel  to  her 
room. 

Ethel  looked  at  her  with  astonishment.  She 
was  not  like  any  Dora  she  had  previously 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  299 

seen.  Her  beauty  had  developed  wondrously, 
she  had  grown  much  taller,  and  her  childish 
manner  had  been  superseded  by  a  carriage 
and  air  of  superb  grace  and  dignity.  She 
had  now  a  fine  color,  and  her  eyes  were 
darker,  softer,  and  more  dreamy  than  ever. 
"  Take  off  your  hat,  Dora,"  said  Ethel,  "  and 
tell  me  what  has  happened.  You  are  posi 
tively  splendid.  Where  is  Mr.  Mostyn?  ' 

"  I  neither  know  nor  care.  He  is  tramp 
ing  round  the  world  after  me,  and  I  intend  to 
keep  him  at  it.  But  I  forget.  I  must  teU 
you  how  that  has  come  about." 

"  We  heard  from' Mrs.  Denning.  She  said 
she  had  received  you  safely." 

"  My  dear  mother!  She  met  me  like  an 
angel;  comforted  and  cared  for  me,  never 
said  one  word  of  blame,  only  kissed  and 
pitied  me.  We  talked  things  over,  and  she 
advised  me  to  go  to  New  York.  So  we  took 
three  passages  under  the  names  of  Mrs.  John 
Gifford,  Miss  Gifford,  and  Miss  Diana  Gif- 
f  ord.  Miss  Diana  was  my  maid,  but  mother 
thought  a  party  of  three  would  throw  Mos- 
tyn  off  our  track." 

"  A  very  good  idea." 

"  We  sailed  at  once.     On  the  second  day 
out  I  had  a  son.    The  poor  little  fellow  died 


300  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

in  a  few  hours,  and  was  buried  at  sea.  But 
his  birth  has  given  me  the  power  to  repay 
to  Fred  Mostyn  some  of  the  misery  he  caused 
me.'* 

"  How  so?    I  do  not  see." 

"  Oh,  you  must  see,  if  you  will  only  re 
member  how  crazy  Englishmen  are  about 
their  sons.  Daughters  don't  count,  you  know, 
but  a  son  carries  the  property  in  the  family 
name.  He  is  its  representative  for  the  next 
generation.  As  I  lay  suffering  and  weeping, 
a  fine  scheme  of  revenge  came  clearly  to  me. 
Listen!  Soon  after  we  got  home  mother 
cabled  Mostyn 's  lawyer  that  l  Mrs.  Mostyn 
had  had  a  son.'  Nothing  was  said  of  the 
boy's  death.  Almost  immediately  I  was  no 
tified  that  Mr.  Mostyn  would  insist  on  the 
surrender  of  the  child  to  his  care.  I  took 
no  notice  of  the  letters.  Then  he  sent  his  law 
yer  to  claim  the  child  and  a  woman  to  take 
care  of  it.  I  laughed  them  to  scorn,  and  de 
fied  them  to  find  the  child.  After  them  came 
Mostyn  himself.  He  interviewed  doctors, 
overlooked  baptismal  registers,  advertised 
far  and  wide,  bribed  our  servants,  bearded 
father  in  his  office,  abused  Bryce  on  the  ave 
nue,  waylaid  me  in  all  my  usual  resorts,  and 
bombarded  me  with  letters,  but  he  knows  no 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  301 

more  yet  than  the  cable  told  him.    And  the 
man  is  becoming  a  monomaniac  about  his 


son.1' 


"  Are  you  doing  right,  Dora?  ' 

"  If  you  only  knew  how  he  had  tortured 
me !  Father  and  mother  think  he  deserves  all 
I  can  do  to  him.  Anyway,  he  will  have  it  ta 
bear.  If  he  goes  to  the  asylum  he  threatened 
me  with,  I  shall  be  barely  satisfied.  The 
*  cat-faced  woman  '  is  getting  her  innings 


now. ' ; 


"  Have  you  never  spoken  to  him  or  writ 
ten  to  him?  Surely " 

"  He  caught  me  one  day  as  I  came  out  of 
our  house,  and  said,  '  Madam,  where  is  my 
son?  '  And  I  answered,  *  You  have  no  son. 
The  child  was  mine.  You  shall  never  see  his 
face  in  this  world.  I  have  taken  good  care  of 
that.' 

"  '  I  will  find  him  some  day, '  he  said,  and  I 
laughed  at  him,  and  answered,  t  He  is  too 
cunningly  hid.  Do  you  think  I  would  let  the 
boy  know  he  had  such  a  father  as  you?  No, 
indeed.  Not  unless  there  was  property  for 
the  disgrace/  I  touched  him  on  the  raw  in 
that  remark,  and  then  I  got  into  my  car 
riage  and  told  the  coachman  to  drive  quickly. 
Mostyn  attempted  to  follow  me,  but  the  whip 


302  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

lashing  the  horses  was  in  the  way."  And 
Dora  laughed,  and  the  laugh  was  cruel  and 
mocking  and  full  of  meaning. 

"  Dora,  how  can  you?  How  can  you  find 
pleasure  in  such  revenges'?  ' 

"  I  am  having  the  greatest  satisfaction  of 
my  life.  And  I  am  only  beginning  the  just 
retribution,  for  my  beauty  is  enthralling  the 
man  again,  and  he  is  on  the  road  to  a  mad 
jealousy  of  me." 

"  Why  don't  you  get  a  divorce?  This  is  a 
-case  for  that  remedy.  He  might  then  marry 
again,  and  you  also." 

"  Even  so,  I  should  still  torment  him.  If 
Tie  had  sons  he  would  be  miserable  in  the 
thought  that  his  unknown  son  might,  on  his 
death,  take  from  them  the  precious  Mostyn 
-estate,  and  that  wretched,  old,  haunted  house 
of  his.  I  am  binding  him  to  misery  on  every 
hand." 

"  Is  Mrs.  Denning  here  with  you?  ' 

"  Both  my  father  and  mother  are  with  me. 
Father  is  going  to  take  a  year's  rest,  and  we 
shall  visit  Berlin,  Vienna,  Rome,  Paris  or 
wherever  our  fancy  leads  us." 

"  And  Mr.  Mostyn?  " 

11  He  can  follow  me  round,  and  see  nobles 
and  princes  and  kings  pay  court  to  the  beauty 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN  303 

of  the  '  cat-faced  woman.'  I  shall  never  no 
tice  him,  never  speak  to  him;  but  you  need 
not  look  so  suspicious,  Ethel.  Neither  by 
word  nor  deed  will  I  break  a  single  conven 
tion  of  the  strictest  respectability." 

"  Mr.  Mostyn  ought  to  give  you  your  free 
dom.  ' ' 

"  I  have  given  freedom  to  myself.  '  I  have 
already  divorced  him.  When  they  brought 
my  dead  baby  for  me  to  kiss,  I  slipped  into 
its  little  hand  the  ring  that  made  me  his 
mother.  They  went  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
together.  As  for  ever  marrying  again,  not 
in  this  life.  I  have  had  enough  of  it.  My 
first  husband  was  the  sweetest  saint  out  of 
heaven,  and  my  second  was  some  mean  little 
demon  that  had  sneaked  his  way  out  of  hell; 
and  I  found  both  insupportable."  She  lifted 
her  hat  as  she  spoke,  and  began  to  pin  it  on 
her  beautifully  dressed  hair.  "  Have  no  fear 
for  me,"  she  continued.  "  I  am  sure  Basil 
watches  over  me.  Some  day  I  shall  be  good, 
and  he  will  be  happy."  Then,  hand  in  hand, 
they  walked  to  the  door  together,  and  there 
were  tears  in  both  voices  as  they  softly  said 
"  Good-by." 


CHAPTER   XII 

[A.  WEEK  after  this  interview  Tyrrel  and 
Ethel  were  in  New  York.  They  landed  early 
in  the  morning,  but  the  Judge  and  Ruth  were 
on  the  pier  to  meet  them;  and  they  break 
fasted  together  at  the  fashionable  hotel, 
where  an  elegant  suite  had  been  reserved  for 
the  residence  of  the  Tyrrel-Rawdons  until 
they  had  perfected  their  plans  for  the  future. 
Tyrrel  was  boyishly  excited,  but  Ethel's  in 
terest  could  not  leave  her  father  and  his  new 
wife.  These  two  had  lived  in  the  same  home 
for  fifteen  years,  and  then  they  had  married 
each  other,  and  both  of  them  looked  fifteen 
years  younger.  The  Judge  was  actually 
merry,  and  Ruth,  in  spite  of  her  supposed 
"  docility,"  had  quite  reversed  the  situation. 
It  was  the  Judge  who  was  now  docile,  and 
even  admiringly  obedient  to  all  Ruth's  wifely 
advices  and  admonitions. 

The  breakfast  was  a  talkative,  tardy  one, 
but  at  length  the  Judge  went  to  his  office  and 
Tyrrel  had  to  go  to  the  Custom  House.  Ethel 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  305 

was  eager  to  see  her  grandmother,  and  she 
was  sure  the  dear  old  lady  was  anxiously 
waiting  her  arrival.  And  Euth  was  just  as 
anxious  for  Ethel  to  visit  her  renovated  home. 
She  had  the  young  wife's  delight  in  its  beauty, 
and  she  wanted  Ethel  to  admire  it  with  her. 

' '  We  will  dine  with  you  to-morrow,  Ruth, ' ' 
said  Ethel,  "  and  I  will  come  very  early  and 
see  all  the  improvements.  I  feel  sure  the 
house  is  lovely,  and  I  am  glad  father  made 
you  such  a  pretty  nest.  Nothing  is  too  pretty 
for  you,  Ruth."  And  there  was  no  insincer 
ity  in  this  compliment.  These  two  women 
knew  and  loved  and  trusted  each  other  with 
out  a  shadow  of  doubt  or  variableness. 

So  Ruth  went  to  her  home,  and  Ethel  has 
tened  to  Gramercy  Park.  Madam  was 
eagerly  watching  for  her  arrival. 

"  I  have  been  impatient  for  a  whole  hour? 
all  in  a  quiver,  dearie,"  she  cried.  "  It  is 
nearly  noon." 

"  I  have  been  impatient  also,  Granny,  but 
father  and  Ruth  met  us  at  the  pier  and  stayed 
to  breakfast  with  us,  and  you  know  how  men 
talk  and  talk." 

"  Ruth  and  father  down  at  the  pier!  How 
you  dream!  ' 

"  They  were  really  there.     And  they  do 


306  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

seem  so  happy,  grandmother.  They  are  so 
much  in  love  with  each  other." 

"  I  dare  say.  There  are  no  fools  like  old 
fools.  So  you  have  sold  the  Court  to  Nicho 
las  Rawdon,  and  a  cotton-spinner  is  Lord  of 
the  Manor.  Well,  well,  how  are  the  mighty 
fallen!" 

"  I  made  twenty  thousand  pounds  by  the 
sale.  Nicholas  Rawdon  is  a  gentleman,  and 
John  Thomas  is  the  most  popular  man  in  all 
the  neighborhood.  And,  Granny,  he  has  two 
sons  —  twins  —  the  handsomest  little  chaps 
you  ever  saw.  No  fear  of  a  Rawdon  to  heir 
the  Manor  now." 

"  Fortune  is  a  baggage.  When  she  is  ill 
to  a  man  she  knows  no  reason.  She  sent  John 
Thomas  to  Parliament,  and  kept  Fred  out  at 
a  loss,  too.  She  took  the  Court  from  Fred 
and  gave  it  to  John  Thomas,  and  she  gives 
him  two  sons  about  the  same  time  she  gives 
Fred  one,  and  that  one  she  kidnaps  out  of 
his  sight  and  knowledge.  Poor  Fred!  ' 

"  Well,  grandmother,  it  is  l  poor  Fred's  ' 
own  doing,  and,  I  assure  you,  Fred  would 
have  been  most  unwelcome  at  the  Court.  And 
the  squires  and  gentry  round  did  not  like  a 
woman  in  the  place ;  they  were  at  a  loss  what 
to  do  with  me.  I  was  no  good  for  dinners  and 


THE  MAN   BETWEEN  307 

politics  and  hunting.  I  embarrassed  them." 
'  "  Of  course  you  would.  They  would  have 
to  talk  decently  and  behave  politely,  and  they 
would  not  be  able  to  tell  their  choicest  stories. 
Your  presence  would  be  a  bore ;  but  could  not 
Tyrrel  take  your  place1? ' 

"  Granny,  Tyrrel  was  really  unhappy  in 
that  kind  of  life.  And  he  was  a  foreigner, 
so  was  I.  You  know  what  Yorkshire  people 
think  of  foreigners.  They  were  very  cour 
teous,  but  they  were  glad  to  have  the  York 
shire  Eawdons  in  our  place.  And  Tyrrel  did 
not  like  working  with  the  earth;  he  loves, 
machinery  and  electricity." 

"  To  be  sure.    When  a  man  has  got  used 
to  delving  for  gold  or  silver,  cutting  grass. 

and  wheat  does  seem  a  slow  kind  of  business." 
"  And  he  disliked  the  shut-up  feeling  the 

park  gave  him.    He  said  we  were  in  the  midst 

of  solitude  three  miles  thick.    It  made  him 

depressed  and  lonely." 

"  That  is  nonsense.     I   am  sure   on  the 

Western  plains  he  had  solitude  sixty  miles. 

thick— often." 

"  Very  likely,  but  then  he  had  an  horizon, 

even  if  it  were  sixty  miles  away.     And  no 

matter  how  far  he  rode,  there  was  always- 


308  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

that  line  where  earth  seemed  to  rise  to  heaven. 
But  the  park  was  surrounded  by  a  brick 
wall  fourteen  feet  high.  It  had  no  horizon. 
You  felt  as  if  you  were  in  a  large,  green  box 
— at  least  Tyrrel  did.  The  wall  was  covered 
with  roses  and  ivy,  but  still  it  was  a  boundary 
you  could  not  pass,  and  could  not  see  over. 
Don't  you  understand,  Granny,  how  Tyrrel 
would  feel  this?  " 

"  I  can't  say  I  do.  Why  didn't  he  come 
with  you?  " 

"  He  had  to  go  to  the  Customs  about  our 
trunks,  and  there  were  other  things.  He  will 
see  you  to-morrow.  Then  we  are  going  to 
dine  with  father,  and  if  you  will  join  us,  we 
will  call  at  six  for  you.  Do,  Granny." 

"  Very  well,  I  shall  be  ready."  But  after 
a  moment's  thought  she  continued,  "  No,  I 
will  not  go.  I  am  only  a  mortal  woman,  and 
the  company  of  angels  bores  me  yet." 

"  Now,  Granny,  dear." 

"  I  mean  what  I  say.  Your  father  has 
married  such  a  piece  of  perfection  that  I  feel 
my  shortcomings  in  her  presence  more  than 
I  can  bear.  But  I'll  tell  you  what,  dearie, 
Tyrrel  may  come  for  me  Saturday  night  at 
six,  and  I  will  have  my  dinner  with  you.  I 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  309 

want  to  see  the  dining-room  of  a  swell  hotel 
in  full  dress ;  and  I  will  wear  my  violet  satin 
and  white  Spanish  lace,  and  look  as  smart  as 
can  be,  dear.  And  Tyrrel  may  buy  me  a 
bunch  of  white  violets.  I  am  none  too  old 
to  wear  them.  Who  knows  but  I  may  go  to 
the  theater  also?  " 

"  Oh,  Granny,  you  are  just  the  dearest 
young  lady  I  know !  Tyrrel  will  be  as  proud 
as  a  peacock." 

"  Well,  I  am  not  as  young  as  I  might  be, 
but  I  am  a  deal  younger  than  I  look.  Listen, 
dearie,  I  have  never  felt  old  yet!  Isn't  that 
a  thing  to  be  grateful  for?  I  don't  read 
much  poetry,  except  it  be  in  the  Church 
Hymnal,  but  I  cut  a  verse  out  of  a  magazine 
a  year  ago  which  just  suits  my  idea  of  life, 
and,  what  is  still  more  wonderful,  I  took  the 
trouble  to  learn  it.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 
wrote  it,  and  I'll  warrant  him  for  a  good, 
cheerful,  trust-in-God  man,  or  he'd  never 
have  thought  of  such  sensible  words." 

"  I  am  listening,  Granny,  for  the  verse." 

"  Yes,  and  learn  it  yourself.  It  will  come 
in  handy  some  day,  when  Tyrrel  and  you  are 
getting  white-haired  and  handsome,  as  every 
one  ought  to  get  when  they  have  passed  their 


310  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

half -century  and  are  facing  the  light  of  the 
heavenly  world : 

"At  sixty-two  life  has  begun; 

At  seventy-three  begins  once  more; 
Fly  swifter   as  thou  near'st  the  sun, 
And  brighter  shine  at  eighty-four. 
At  ninety-five, 
Should  thou  arrive, 
Still  wait  on  God,  and  work  and  thrive." 

Such  words  as  those,  Ethel,  keep  a  woman 
young,  and  make  her  right  glad  that  she  was 
born  and  thankful  that  she  lives." 

"  Thank  you  for  them,  dear  Granny.  Now 
I  must  run  away  as  fast  as  I  can.  Tyrrel  will 
be  wondering  what  has  happened  to  me." 

In  this  conjecture  she  was  right.  Tyrrel 
was  in  evening  dress,  and  walking  restlessly 
about  their  private  parlor.  "  Ethel,"  he  said, 
plaintively,  "  I  have  been  so  uneasy  about 
you." 

"  I  am  all  right,  dearest.  I  was  with  grand 
mother.  I  shall  be  ready  in  half  an  hour." 

Even  if  she  had  been  longer,  she  would 
have  earned  the  delay,  for  she  returned  to  him 
in  pink  silk  and  old  Venice  point  de  rose, 
with  a  pretty  ermine  tippet  across  her  shoul 
ders.  It  was  a  joy  to  see  her,  a  delight  to 


THE   MAN   BETWEEN  311 

hear  her  speak,  and  she  walked  as  if  she 
heard  music.  The  dining-room  was  crowded 
when  they  entered,  but  they  made  a  sensation. 
Many  rose  and  came  to  welcome  them  home. 
Others  smiled  across  the  busy  space  and  lifted 
their  wineglass  in  recognition.  The  room  was 
electric,  sensitive  and  excited.  It  was  flooded 
with  a  soft  light;  it  was  full  of  the  perfume 
of  flowers.  The  brilliant  coloring  of  silks  and 
satins,  and  the  soft  miracle  of  white  lace 
blended  with  the  artistically  painted  walls 
and  roof.  The  aroma  of  delicate  food,  the 
tinkle  of  crystal,  the  low  murmur  of  happy 
voices,  the  thrill  of  sudden  laughter,  and  the 
delicious  accompaniment  of  soft,  sensuous 
music  completed  the  charm  of  the  room.  To 
eat  in  such  surroundings  was  as  far  beyond 
the  famous  flower-crowned  feasts  of  Rome 
and  Greece  as  the  east  is  from  the  west.  It 
was  impossible  to  resist  its  influence.  From 
the  point  of  the  senses,  the  soul  was  drinking 
life  out  of  a  cup  of  overflowing  delight.  And 
it  was  only  natural  that  in  their  hearts  both 
Tyrrel  and  Ethel  should  make  a  swift,  though 
silent,  comparison  between  this  feast  of  sen 
sation  and  flow  of  human  attraction  and  the 
still,  sweet  order  of  the  Rawdon  dining-room, 
with  its  noiseless  service,  and  its  latticed  win- 


312  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

dows  open  to  all  the  wandering  scents  and 
songs  of  the  garden. 

Perhaps  the  latter  would  have  the  sweetest 
and  dearest  and  most  abiding  place  in  their 
hearts;  but  just  in  the  present  they  were  en 
thralled  and  excited  by  the  beauty  and  good 
comradeship  of  the  social  New  York  dinner 
function.  Their  eyes  were  shining,  their 
hearts  thrilling,  they  went  to  their  own  apart 
ments  hand  in  hand,  buoyant,  vivacious,  feel 
ing  that  life  was  good  and  love  unchangeable. 
And  the  windows  being  open,  they  walked  to 
one  and  stood  looking  out  upon  the  avenue. 
All  signs  of  commerce  had  gone  from  the 
beautiful  street,  but  it  was  busy  and  noisy 
with  the  traffic  of  pleasure,  and  the  hum  of 
multitudes,  the  rattle  of  carriages,  the  rush 
of  autos,  the  light,  hurrying  footsteps  of 
pleasure-seekers  insistently  demanded  their 
sympathy. 

"  "We  cannot  go  out  to-night,"  said  Ethel. 
"  We  are  both  more  weary  than  we  know." 

"  No,  we  cannot  go  to-night;  but,  oh,  Ethel, 
we  are  in  New  York  again!  Is  not  that  joy 
enough?  I  am  so  happy!  I  am  so  happy. 
We  are  in  New  York  again !  There  is  no  city 
like  it  in  all  the  world.  Men  live  here,  they 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN"  313 

work  here,  they  enjoy  here.    How  happy,  how 
busy  we  are  going  to  be,  Ethel !  ' 

During  these  joyful,  hopeful  expectations 
he  was  walking  up  and  down  the  room,  his 
eyes  dilating  with  rapture,  and  Ethel  closed 
the  window  and  joined  him.  They  magnified 
their  joy,  they  wondered  at  it,  they  were  sure 
no  one  before  them  had  ever  loved  as  they 
loved.  "  And  we  are  going  to  live  here, 
Ethel;  going  to  have  our  home  here!  Upon 
my  honor,  I  cannot  speak  the  joy  I  feel,  but  " 
— and  he  went  impetuously  to  the  piano  and 
opened  it — "  but  I  can  perhaps  sing  it — 

"  '  There  is  not  a  spot  in  this  wide-peopled  earth 
So  dear  to  the  heart  as  the  Land  of  our  Birth; 
"Pis  the  home  of  our  childhood,  the  beautiful  spot 
Which  Memory  retains  when  all  else  is  forgot. 
May  the  blessing  of  God  ever  hallow  the  sod, 
And  its  valleys  and  hills  by  our  children  be  trod ! 

" '  May  Columbia  long  lift  her  White  crest  o'er  the  wave, 
The  birthplace  of  science  and  the  home  of  the  brave. 
In  her  cities  may  peace  and  prosperity  dwell, 
And  her  daughters  in  virtue  and  beauty  excel. 
May  the  blessing  of  God  ever  hallow  the  sod, 
And  its  valleys  and  hills  by  our  children  be  trod.' " 

With  the  patriotic  music  warbling  in  his 
throat  he  turned  to  Ethel,  and  looked  at  her 


314  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

as  a  lover  can,  and  she  answered  the  look ;  and 
thus  leaning  toward  each  other  in  visible 
beauty  and  affection  their  new  life  began. 
Between  smiles  and  kisses  they  sat  speaking, 
not  of  the  past  with  all  its  love  and  loveliness, 
but  of  the  high  things  calling  to  them  from 
the  future,  the  work  and  duties  of  life  set  to 
great  ends  both  for  public  and  private  good. 
And  as  they  thus  communed  Tyrrel  took  his 
wife's  hand  and  slowly  turned  on  her  finger 
the  plain  gold  wedding  ring  behind  its  bar 
rier  of  guarding  gems. 

"  Ethel,"  he  said  tenderly,  "  what  enchant 
ments  are  in  this  ring  of  gold!  What  ro 
mances  I  used  to  weave  around  it,  and,  dear 
est,  it  has  turned  every  Romance  into  Real 
ity." 

"  And,  Tyrrel,  it  will  also  turn  all  our 
Realities  into  Romances.  Nothing  in  our  life 
will  ever  become  common.  Love  will  glorify 
everything. ' ' 

"  And  we  shall  always  love  as  we  love 
now?  " 

"  We  shall  love  far  better,  far  stronger, 
far  more  tenderly." 

"  Even  to  the  end  of  our  lives,  Ethel?  " 

"  Yes,  to  the  very  end." 


A  PAUSE  of  blissful  silence  followed  this  as 
surance.  It  was  broken  by  a  little  exclama 
tion  from  Ethel.  "  Oh,  dear,"  she  said,  "  how 
selfishly  thoughtless  my  happines  makes  me ! 
I  have  forgotten  to  teU  you,  until  this  mo 
ment,  that  I  have  a  letter  from  Dora.  It  was 
sent  to  grandmother's  care,  and  I  got  it  this 
afternoon ;  also  one  from  Lucy  Rawdon.  The 
two  together  bring  Dora's  affairs,  I  should 
say,  to  a  pleasanter  termination  than  we  could 
have  hoped  for." 

"  Where  is  the  Enchantress?  ' 

"  In  Paris  at  present." 

"  I  expected  that  answer." 

"  But  listen,  she  is  living  the  quietest  of 
lives;  the  most  devoted  daughter  cannot  excel 
her." 

"  Is  she  her  own  authority  for  that  aston 
ishing  statement?  Do  you  believe  it?  ' 

"  Yes,  under  the  circumstances.  Mr.  Den 
ning  went  to  Paris  for  a  critical  and  painful 
operation,  and  Dora  is  giving  all  her  love  and 


316  THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

time  toward  making  his  convalescence  as 
pleasant  as  it  can  be.  In  fact,  her  descrip 
tion  of  their  life  in  the  pretty  chateau  they 
have  rented  outside  of  Paris  is  quite  idyllic. 
When  her  father  is  able  to  travel  they  are 
going  to  Algiers  for  the  winter,  and  will  re 
turn  to  New  York  about  next  May.  Dora 
says  she  never  intends  to  leave  America 
again." 

"  Where  is  her  husband?  Keeping  watch 
on  the  French  chateau?  ' 

"  That  is  over.  Mr.  Denning  persuaded 
Dora  to  write  a  statement  of  all  the  facts  con 
cerning  the  birth  of  the  child.  She  told  her 
husband  the  name  under  which  they  traveled, 
the  names  of  the  ship,  the  captain,  and  the 
ship's  doctor,  and  Mrs.  Denning  authenti 
cated  the  statement;  but,  oh,  what  a  mean, 
suspicious  creature  Mostyn  is!  ' 

"  What  makes  you  reiterate  that  descrip 
tion  of  him?  " 

"  He  was  quite  unable  to  see  any  good  or 
kind  intent  in  this  paper.  He  proved  its  cor 
rectness,  and  then  wrote  Mr.  Denning  a  very 
contemptible  letter." 

"  Which  was  characteristic  enough.  What 
did  he  say?  " 

"  That  the  amende  honorable  was  too  late; 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  317 

that  he  supposed  Dora  wished  to  have  the 
divorce  proceedings  stopped  and  be  reinstated 
as  his  wife,  but  he  desired  the  whole  Denning 
family  to  understand  that  was  now  impos 
sible;  he  was  '  fervently,  feverishly  awaiting 
his  freedom,  which  he  expected  at  any  hour.' 
He  said  it  was  '  sickening  to  remember  the 
weariness  of  body  and  soul  Dora  had  given 
him  about  a  non-existing  child,  and  though 
this  could  never  be  atoned  for,  he  did  think 
he  ought  to  be  refunded  the  money  Dora's 
contemptible  revenge  had  cost  him.' 

"  How  could  he?    How  could  he?  ' 

"  Of  course  Mr.  Denning  sent  him  a  check, 
a  pretty  large  one,  I  dare  say.  And  I  sup 
pose  he  has  his  freedom  by  this  time,  unless 
he  has  married  again." 

"  He  will  never  marry  again." 

"  Indeed,  that  is  the  strange  part  of  the 
story.  It  was  because  he  wanted  to  marry 
again  that  he  was  «  fervently,  feverishly  await 
ing  his  freedom.' 

"I  can  hardly  believe  it,  Ethel.     What 

does  Dora  say?" 

"  I  have  the  news  from  Lucy.  She  says 
when  Mostyn  was  ignored  by  everyone  in  the 
neighborhood,  one  woman  stood  up  for  him 
almost  passionately.  Do  you  remember  Miss 
Sadler?  " 


THE   MAN  BETWEEN 

"  That  remarkable  governess  of  the  Sur 
reys?  Why,  Ethel,  she  is  the  very  ugliest 
woman  I  ever  saw. ' ' 

1  She  is  so  ugly  that  she  is  fascinating.    If 
you  see  her  one  minute  you  can  never  forget 
her,  and  she  is  brains  to  her  finger  tips.    She 
ruled  everyone  at  Surrey  House.     She  was 
Lord  Surrey's  secretary  and  Lady  Surrey's 
adviser.    She  educated  the  children,  and  they 
adored  her;  she  ruled  the  servants,  and  they 
obeyed  her  with  fear  and  trembling.    Nothing 
was  done  in  Surrey  House  without  her  ap 
proval.    And  if  her  face  was  not  handsome, 
she  had  a  noble  presence  and  a  manner  that 
was  irresistible." 
"  And  she  took  Mostyn's  part?  " 
'  With  enthusiasm.     She  abused  Dora  in 
dividually,  and  American  women  generally. 
She  pitied  Mr.  Mostyn,  and  made  others  do 
so;  and  when  she  perceived  there  would  be 
but  a  shabby  and  tardy  restoration  for  him 
socially,  she  advised  him  to  shake  off  the  dust 
of  his  feet  from  Monk-Rawdon,  and  begin  life 
in  some  more  civilized  place.    And  in  order 
that  he  might  do  so,  she  induced  Lord  Sur 
rey  to  get  him  a  very  exceUent  civil  appoint 
ment  in  Calcutta." 

"  Then  he  is  going  to  India?  " 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  319 

"  He  is  probably  now  on  the  way  there. 
He  sold  the  Mostyn  estate " 

"  I  can  hardly  believe  it." 

"  He  sold  it  to  John  Thomas  Rawdon. 
John  Thomas  told  me  it  belonged  to  Raw 
don  until  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen 
tury,  and  he  meant  to  have  it  back.  He  has 
got  it." 

"  Miss  Sadler  must  be  a  witch." 

"  She  is  a  sensible,  practical  woman,  who 
knows  how  to  manage  men.  She  has  soothed 
Mostyn 's  wounded  pride  with  appreciative 
flattery  and  stimulated  his  ambition.  She 
has  promised  him  great  things  in  India,  and 
she  will  see  that  he  gets  them." 

"  He  must  be  completely  under  her  con 
trol." 

"  She  will  never  let  him  call  his  soul  his 
own,  but  she  will  manage  his  affairs  to  per- 
fectioiL  And  Dora  is  forever  rid  of  that 
wretched  influence.  The  man  can  never  again 
come  between  her  and  her  love;  never  again 
come  between  her  and  happiness.  There  wiU 
be  the  circumference  of  the  world  as  a  bar 


rier. ': 


11  There  will  be  Jane  Sadler  as  a  barrier. 
She  will  be  sufficient.  The  Woman  Between 


320  THE  MAN  BETWEEN" 

will  annihilate  The  Man  Between.  Dora  is 
now  safe.  What  will  she  do  with  herself?  ' 

"  She  will  come  back  to  New  York  and  be 
a  social  power.  She  is  young,  beautiful,  rich, 
and  her  father  has  tremendous  financial  in 
fluence.  Social  affairs  are  ruled  by  finance. 
I  should  not  wonder  to  see  her  in  St.  Jude's, 
a  devotee  and  eminent  for  good  works." 

"  And  if  Basil  Stanhope  should  return?  ' 

"  Poor  Basil — he  is  dead." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  ' 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Tyrrel?  ' 

"  Are  you  sure  Basil  is  dead?  What  proof 
have  you?  ' 

"  You  must  be  dreaming!  Of  course  he  is 
dead!  His  friend  came  and  told  me  so — told 
me  everything." 

"Is  that  all?" 

"  There  were  notices  in  the  papers." 

"Is  that  all?" 

"  Mr.  Denning  must  have  known  it  when  he 
stopped  divorce  proceedings." 

"  Doubtless  he  believed  it;  he  wished  to  do 
so." 

"  Tyrrel,  tell  me  what  you  mean." 

"  I  always  wondered  about  his  death  rather 
than  believed  in  it.  Basil  had  a  consuming 
sense  of  honor  and  affection  for  the  Church 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN  321 

and  its  sacred  offices.  He  would  have  died 
willingly  rather  than  drag  them  into  the  mire 
of  a  divorce  court.  When  the  fear  became 
certainty  he  disappeared — really  died  to  all 
his  previous  life.'7 

"  But  I  cannot  conceive  of  Basil  lying  for 
any  purpose." 

"  He  disappeared.  His  family  and  friends 
took  on  themselves  the  means  they  thought 
most  likely  to  make  that  disappearance  a 
finality/' 

"  Have  you  heard  anything,  seen  any 
thing?" 

"  One  night  just  before  I  left  the  West  a 
traveler  asked  me  for  a  night's  lodging.  He 
had  been  prospecting  in  British  America  in 
the  region  of  the  Klondike,  and  was  full  of 
incidental  conversation.  Among  many  other 
things  he  told  me  of  a  wonderful  sermon  he 
had  heard  from  a  young  man  in  a  large  min 
ing  camp.  I  did  not  give  the  story  any  at 
tention  at  the  time,  but  after  he  had  gone 
away  it  came  to  me  like  a  flash  of  light  that 
the  preacher  was  Basil  Stanhope." 

"  Oh,  Tyrrel,  if  it  was — if  it  was!  What  a 
beautiful  dream!  But  it  is  only  a  dream. 
If  it  could  be  true,  would  he  forgive  Dora? 
Would  he  come  back  to  her?  " 


.322  THE   MAN   BETWEEN 

"  No!  '  Tyrrel's  voice  was  positive  and 
even  stern.  "  No,  lie  could  never  come  back 
to  her.  She  might  go  to  him.  She  left  him 
without  any  reason.  I  do  not  think  he  would 
care  to  see  her  again. ' ' 

"  I  would  say  no  more,  Tyrrel.  I  do  not 
think  as  you  do.  It  is  a  dream,  a  fancy,  just 
an  imagination.  But  if  it  were  true,  Basil 
would  wish  no  pilgrimage  of  abasement.  He 
would  say  to  her,  '  Dear  one,  hush!  Love  is 
here,  travel-stained,  sore  and  weary,  but  so 
happy  to  welcome  you !  '  And  he  would  open 
all  his  great,  sweet  heart  to  her.  May  I  tell 
Dora  some  day  what  you  have  thought  and 
said?  It  will  be  something  good  for  her  to 
dream  about." 

"  Do  you  think  she  cares?  Did  she  ever 
love  him?  ' 

"  He  was  her  first  love.  She  loved  him 
once  with  all  her  heart.  If  it  would  be  right 
— safe,  I  mean,  to  tell  Dora " 

"  On  this  subject  there  is  so  much  not  to 
say.  I  would  never  speak  of  it." 

"  It  may  be  a  truth " 

"  Then  it  is  among  those  truths  that  should 
be  held  back,  and  it  is  likely  only  a  trick  of 
my  imagination,  a  supposition,  a  fancy." 

"  A  miracle !    And  of  two  miracles  I  prefer 


THE  MAN  BETWEEN 

the  least,  and  that  is  that  Basil  is  dead.  Your 
young  preacher  is  a  dream;  and,  oh,  Tyrrel, 
I  am  so  tired!  It  has  been  such  a  long,  long, 
happy  day!  I  want  to  sleep.  My  eyes  are 
shutting  as  I  talk  to  you.  Such  a  long,  long, 

happy  day!  " 

"  And  so  many  long,  happy  days  to  come, 

dearest." 

"  So  many,"   she  answered,   as  she  tooK 
Tyrrel's  hand,  and  lifted  her  fur  and  fan 
and  gloves.    "  What  were  those  lines  we  read 
together  the  night  before  we  were  married? 
I  forget,  I  am  so  tired.     I  know  that  1 
should  have  many  a  hope  and  aim,  duties, 
enough,  and  little  cares,  and  now  be  quiet, 
.and  now  astir,  till  God's  hand  beckoned  us 

unawares .  •  , 

The  rest  was  inaudible.  But  between  that 
long,  happy  day  and  the  present  time  there 
has  been  an  arc  of  life  large  enough  to  place 
the  union  of  Tyrrel  and  Ethel  Eawdon  among, 
those  blessed  bridals  that  are 
"  The  lest  of  life's  romances." 


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